A Start of Something New
by X-Storm
Summary: The final chapter is up! PLEASE R&R, I would really appreciate some reviews. Thanks.
1. Summary and Introduction

Summary: _This fic takes place one year after the last episode. This short chatper informs you on everyone's whereabouts. I want to have Scott propose to Jean, at some point. Hank and the Professor are already, secretly, working on a formula that may help Rogue control her powers. They are very optimistic about it because they've spent lots of time on it. And they believe it will work well since it was made pretty much from her very own DNA. Of course, she has no idea. _

_The pairings are Jean/Scott for now and then there will be Rogue/Remy and Ororo/Logan:) Remy and Rogue will take the longest to get together because that's just how it is with them. He has to fight and win her over. Ororo and Logan will take some time since Logan's not one for speaking of love and Ororo may be shy about letting him know due to that particular aspect. _

_Sorry that this isn't a big summary but I'm not sure about all that I'll do yet. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this. I will eventually work on the sequel to my first fic but it just wasn't working for me right now. Please R&R:) _

Introduction

A year has passed by since the whole Apocalypse incident and everyone has been doing well. Rogue has only about two more months until she graduates and she is quite happy of that. She hasn't planned to go to college because she'd rather do what Scott had done after he graduated, and that is help out with the younger students at the institute. Jean had been excepted to many wonderful schools but she chose N.Y.U. It offered all the medical education she needed so she figured what the heck. Plus she really didn't want to have to leave everyone behind, especially Scott. She could never do that. She already had to leave her sister and parents when she came to stay at the mansion but at least they are close enough to visit. She also enjoys helping with the students. Kitty and Lance had broken up because they realized that they are much better off just being good friends. And Kurt and Amanda never hooked back up. Although, they as well, have decided to just be friends. Professor Xavier and Hank are still where they were. Nothing much has changed with them. But Ororo and Logan are getting a little closer. They both have feelings for one another but are unable to tell the other. She's just too shy about it and he, well you know how Logan is about spilling his guts especially when it's about his emotions. Gambit went back to New Orleans for the time being. No one, aside from the Professor, has any idea that he may be coming back and actually joining up with the X-Men. Xavier would have liked for him to stay and join but didn't want to push him into anything. Everyone joins at their own, free will. It's just that he sees potential in Gambit and has a good feeling that he will return at some point. The younger students are the same as usual. They're quite mischievious, some more than others. There has been additions to the X-Men though ... Warren, Alex, X23 and Piotr have all joined within the past year. Magneto is still pretty much the same. His team isn't though. Sabertooth and Pyro are still on his side and now Pietro is as well. He's no longer playing one side on the other. Mystique hasn't really changed either. Lance, Fred, Todd and Wanda are with her. Lance isn't too fond of being there but he just doesn't want to join up with the X-Men. He finds them too "goody-goody". "Too many rules" he always says. Fred and Todd like it there with Mystique. Wanda isn't so sure what she wants. She's kind of staying neutral. So nothing much has really changed with anyone.

_Note: I just thought I'd give a nice little intro to my new fic to fill everyone in:) The next update will actually be the first chapter:) I hope to have it up not too long from now:) Just let me know what ya'all think about my short summary and introduction:) If you like it then I will update as soon as I can:) I hope you do and I also hope to get, at least, a couple reviews:) So please do R&R:) _


	2. A Fresh Beginning

Chapter One

It's a Monday morning and the mansion is very busy. Moreless, it's quite chaotic, but that's not unusual. The students are all over the place. Mostly all of the younger students are attending Bayville High now, including Alex. Rogue is a senior and Kitty and Kurt are Juniors. Besides helping out at the institute Rogue has no idea what she wants to do with her life once she graduates. Warren, after finally deciding to join the X-Men, just helps out at the mansion as much as he can. Plus takes training, of course. Jamie's still being taught at the institute due to both the fact that he's not quite old enough for high school and his multiplying powers. The Professor thinks they could become a problem if he were attending a public school. So even though he'll be old enough the following year he'll still remain there. Once X23 decided she wanted to be a member of the team she began to be taught at the institute. Professor X, along with everyone else, believes it to be best for her to stay enrolled at the institute and not attend Bayville High either. She's much like Logan, therefore she's easily irritated and she could very well hurt someone. She's so angry (but who could blame her). Jean, of course, is attending her first year of college. Although, it won't be long and she'll be out for the summer. She can't wait, in a way. She also helps teach from time to time. Scott is just remaining the leader of the X-Men and he helps with the students as well. Everyone's doing very well.

Right now the younger students, little by little, have left for school. They've all decided to walk today since it was a beautiful spring day. Rogue has her own wheels now, with the help from Logan the Professor allowed her to get a motorcycle. After all she is 18. She was going to ride it to school today since she'd had more than enough experience at it but Kitty and Kurt wanted her to tag along with them. She finally gave in and went with them. They were all going to walk but Jean had volunteered to give them a lift. She had said she had to leave for a morning class anyway and she'd be in the area. She finally convinced her three friends to take her offer. She told them to be ready and she'd meet them after she said goodbye to Scott.

Rogue really didn't enjoy being with Jean, unless she had to for training or such. But she has became a little more friendly towards Jean. She doesn't spat at her as much as she used to. Rogue does care about Jean greatly, but she's still not all buddy-buddy with her. Odds are that that will never happen. And she just doesn't know how to act around Jean. Rogue feels she doesn't understand her one bit. They're totally opposite. And in Rogue's eyes Jean gets everything she wants.

Jean went to find Scott. She found him in the rec room sitting on a sofa. He appeared to be deep in thought.

"Um, Scott. Are you okay?" Jean asked.

"Oh...yeah. I'm just thinking." Scott told her.

"About what?" she asked as she slightly tilted her head.

"Nothing really. Just thinking." he said and he motioned for her to join him.

Jean walked over and sat beside him to his right. He placed his arm around her and pulled her close to his side. She then placed her arm around his waist.

"Don't you have to be getting off to class?" he asked her.

"Yeah but I wanted to say goodbye first. I'll be driving Rogue, Kitty and Kurt to school on my way. They were going to walk but I insisted on taking them since it's not out of my way or anything. You know how I am." she said.

"Don't we all?" he teased.

She nudged at him and laughed. "Shut up. Plus I'm hoping that Rogue will talk to me. I still sense lots of friction between us and I don't want any sparks, know what I mean?"

He looked into her eyes. "Yes, I know. Rogue can be quite a complicated person. But who can blame her." he said still looking into her eyes.

"Yeah, I just hope we can work out our differences. I would really like for her and I to become closer. It's like there's too much space between us, even if we're in the same room sitting right beside each other." Jean told him.

"I've noticed. Just give her time. She's not one to open up to people. I mean she finally got close to Kitty and those two are best friends. Sharing a room probably helped. And she's pretty close to Kurt but, of course, you might as well say that he's the only real family she has. Do try to talk to her though. Maybe a miracle will take place. After all she gave us all a bit surprise when she saved the entire world from Apocolypse." he said smiling.

"Yeah, isn't that the truth. But as long as I can get her to talk to me I'll be happy. I have a feeling she won't make it easy but you never know. Maybe I'm wrong." she said smiling back. "Well honey, I better be going. I just couldn't leave without seeing you first." she said gazing at him.

"I'm glad you didn't leave without saying goodbye." he said looking deeply into her eyes. He then moved his face closer to hers.

She gazed through his glasses, she wished she could see his eyes. She moved closer to him and their lips met. The young couple shared a warm, passionate kiss for a moment. They then pulled away and hugged tightly.

Jean stood up. "Well I'll see you later. I love you." she told him.

"Yeah, later. Good luck with Rogue. I love you, too, baby." he said.

"Thanks." she said back. After that she left the room so she could head out.

When Jean got into the foyer to meet her friends she found that they were already there and waiting for her. She was a bit late. "Sorry for the wait but Scott and I were talking a bit." she told them.

Kitty and Kurt looked at one another and grinned.

Rogue just rolled her eyes and made an annoyed face as if to say "grow the hell up".

They headed to the garage and once they were there they got into Jean's SUV. Kitty and Kurt crawled into the back so that left Rogue up in the front with Jean.

_"Why do I have to sit up here?"_ Rogue thought after they were on their way.

Jean had picked up on Rogue's thoughts by accident, that still happens to her from time to time, and while stopping at a red light Jean glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow.

Rogue looked back with an expression that read "What?".

After seeing Rogue's expression Jean turned her eyes back on the road and the light turned green a few seconds later._ "Oh this talk with Rogue is going to be a real challenge. I just hope I'm completely up for it."_ Jean thought.

Kitty and Kurt were chatting in the back as usual. Rogue looked back and they looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back, something quite rare for her.

"Um, we were wondering if you'd want to walk home with us after school. I mean, we've been wanting you to but usually you turn us down." Kitty said and before she could say more or Rogue could even speak up Kurt cut in.

"Yeah, and you always say 'No. Sorry but I'd rather walk alone'. You say that you have a lot on your mind and you need to think." Kurt stated.

"I know, I just like to be alone. And yeah, I usually do have lots on my mind. I can think better alone. At the mansion I can't even hear myself think most of the time so walking home by myself gives me time. I'm not tryin' to be rude if that's what ya'all think." she told them.

Jean wanted to say something now before they were at the school but decided it best to stay quiet. She's afraid Rogue would bite off her head, even though it wasn't anything mean by far. She never knows how to act around her. Luckily Rogue and the other two didn't notice Jean's expression when she almost opened her mouth.

"No, like, we don't think you're being rude." Kitty said.

"Yeah sis. We understand how much you love being by yourself." Kurt added.

_"Moreless I have to be by myself. I feel better knowin' I'm not gonna hurt anyone. Puttin' one person a lifetime in a coma is still one too many."_ Rogue thought.

A sympathetic expression came upon Jean's face but it too went unseen. She truly felt for Rogue. If she'd just let her in she knew they'd get along. Jean knew she could help her a great deal.

Rogue had thought one thing but said another. "Yeah I do like being alone and I'm glad ya'all understand. Maybe I'll walk home with ya sometime though. It can't hurt. If not I'll make it up to ya next year by givin' ya both a ride to school on my bike, if the Professor will allow it. And of course it'll have to be one at a time." She just realized how silly that sounded. "Of course it would have to be individually." she thought.

They both gave her a look that said "Duh". She couldn't help but grin. She then turned back towards the front and she gazed onto the road ahead as she had before.

It wouldn't be too much longer before they would be at the high school. Jean glanced over at Rogue out of the corner of her eye and noticed how she seemed to be staring into space. Once more she wanted to say something to her but just didn't know how or really where to start. She hasn't even actually spoke to Rogue today._ "Oh, what the hell ... I'll just ask her how she is. There can't be any harm in that." _Jean thought.

"So, Rogue...how's your day been going?" Jean said awkwardly after moments of silence.

"Uh, fine. Yours?" was all that came out of Rogue's mouth.

"Mine's been okay." Jean didn't know what else to say due to their lack of communication. She would like to get a little closer to her, it's just so difficult. She decided to add something else. "I was wondering, what are you doing after school today?"

Rogue wore a confused expression. "B'sides walkin' home and doin' homework I don't know. Unless Logan pops in a suprprise trainin' session. Why?" she looked very puzzled as she looked over to Jean. And she also looked as if she'd rather be somewhere else. She had mixed feelings at this time.

"Well I was thinking that maybe you and I could get together and talk or something. We don't have to go anywhere in particular. We could just stay at the institute or perhaps we could take a walk together ... whichever." Jean told her as she finally made her way towards the school.

"I'll have to think about it." Rogue said. She didn't sound bitter but yet she sounded sort of uneasy about it.

"Okay, you do that. See you later." Jean said back hoping it would work out. She then stopped her SUV in the front of the school. "I'll see you two later as well."

"Later." Kitty and Kurt both said at the same time. They shared an awkward gaze when they realized and then got out of the vehicle.

"Yeah, later." Rogue said in kind of a mumble as she exited the SUV. She then closed the door and headed towards Kitty and Kurt.

"Rogue, I sure hope you'll talk with me later. I want to close this huge gap between us. Or at least lessen it." Jean said to herself as she watched her run up to join Kitty and Kurt and then she began driving off towards the university.

X

A couple hours had passed by and Jean has already made her way home. She only had one class today, which she was quite glad of. She was hoping to spend a little time with Scott before the high school students came home. She finds it so much more peaceful when they're in school. Surely most of the older X-Men do as well.

Jean really hopes to try and talk to Rogue when she arrives at the mansion but she still has her doubts that Rogue will. She's sure hoping it's a good idea since she knows how Rogue can be towards her. Jean doesn't want any drama, although she has a deep gut feeling that that's what she'll get._ "I'll just have to roll with the punches, if that's what it comes down to."_ she thought.

At this moment Jean is searching the institute for Scott. After a few minutes she decided to head out to the kitchen to get a drink. She walked into the room and headed over to the cupboards to get out a glass. Once she got the glass she went to the fridge and got out some orange juice. She then poured it and replaced the carton back in the fridge. She went to turn around when someone said something to her causing her to almost drop the glass.

"Hey Jean. How was your day?" Scott said cheerfully.

"Hey honey. It was as usual. Not bad but not good. You know, the whole thing about us being mutants and most of the city knowing can get frustrating at times. Even in college." Jean told him. Even though her words were somewhat on the depressing side she still smiled.

"Tell me about it. You know what?" he said as they headed to the table and sat beside one another.

"What?" she said back.

"You never fail to completely amaze me. Everything about you. I mean, you always take the worst of things and turn them around to be for the better." he stated and placed his left hand on her knee. She put her hand over his and rubbed it gently.

"Well, not always but usually. It's all you can really do. We can't change the fact that we're mutants. We had no say in that. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I wasn't one. But then I think realistically and I am so glad to be what I am. I wouldn't change it for the world. Plus if I wasn't a mutant I would have never met such wonderful, amazing and beautiful people with such extraordinary gifts. I wouldn't have met you. I am so glad that I met you because I honestly wouldn't know what to do without you. Or even the others." she went on.

"Just like I said, you never fail to completely amaze me." was all he said before he turned himself to face her.

She turned her body towards him and they moved closer and closer to each other. Soon he pressed his lips against hers. She placed her arms around his neck and his were around her waist.

Jean moaned softly into the kiss. She loved kissing Scott. It felt so wonderful. She's never felt anything like it. Duncan had never kissed her like that. But of course all he really wanted was a free ticket to get into her pants. But Scott was so different. She had never done anything with Duncan, besides kiss, so she's completely pure. She never even felt close enough to him to even think of doing so. Her and Scott hadn't went any further than an occasional make-out session. She was so glad that he was a true gentleman. Of course it could get pretty steamy at times but they always stopped before it went too far. Neither of them are really ready to go all the way but they have discussed everything. They're just waiting for the right time. And when it's right they'll both know it.

X

More hours have passed by and the students are now arriving at the mansion. Everyone's home except for Rogue.

Warren, X23 and Piotr were with Logan in the danger room. All of the newer recruits have been getting some extra sessions so that they can get as caught up as possible. They are just getting set up now because Logan said to wait for Alex since he had just got home from school. So they waited for him and in no time he made his way to join them.

Scott had went up to his room to relax. Teaching wasn't too hard now since there were only two students being taught at the institute, Jamie and X23. So it was pretty easy on Professor X, Ororo and Hank. Although, a few times a week they would gather up all of the students, older and younger, and teach them together with Jean and Scott's help.

Jean decided to just wait and allow Rogue to come to her. The Professor was in his study with Hank and they were going over a few things. She didn't feel up to helping in the danger room, unless it's totally necessary. And she knew that Kitty and Kurt had went to the rec room to do their homework together. She didn't see Rogue anywhere, which made her suspicious so she decided to go ask them if they knew where she was. Just out of curiosity. On her way she ran into Ororo, literally.

"Oh I'm sorry. I wasn't really paying attention." Jean apologized.

"That's okay honey." Ororo said smiling.

"I still should watch where I'm going." Jean said back feeling stupid.

"True but it's nothing." Ororo told her younger friend.

"Um, what are you up to?" Jean asked.

"Well, I was just about to go and start dinner. Why?" Ororo stated.

"I'm only wondering because I wanted to talk to Rogue but she's not here yet. So I'm going to go ask Kitty and Kurt if they know where she's at. I'll let her come to me though. Scott wanted to lay down for a bit and I'm kind of bored ... so after I find out about Rogue would you mind if I lend you a hand?" Jean questioned.

"No I don't mind. I'll be happy to have your help. I'll be in the kitchen when you're ready." Ororo told her patting her on the shoulder.

"Okay, thanks."

"Oh, no problem." Ororo then turned and continued on her way.

Jean did the same. She entered the rec room and saw her two friends sitting on a sofa. She didn't want to bother them but she just wanted to know about Rogue. It kind of worried her because she's usually home by now.

"Hey, sorry to bug you but do you know where Rogue is?" Jean asked.

Kurt glanced over at his friend. "Yep, she was sitting on a bench at school when we met up with her.

"Yeah, and she, like, said she wanted to sit there and think for a bit. She should be home in a little bit. At least before dinner." Kitty said.

"I was really hoping to talk to her today. Oh well, I still have a chance when she gets home." she thought. " Alright, thank you two." Jean said.

Kitty and Kurt nodded and went back to their homework. Jean exited the room and headed towards the kitchen to help Ororo._ "I hope she's not trying to avoid me. Maybe I'm what she has to think about. I just want to make it right. I can't stand all of the friction."_ Jean was deep in her thoughts.

X

Meanwhile outside of Bayville High Rogue still sat on a bench thinking over some things. She was actually kind of nervous to talk to Jean. They've never really gotten along all that well, unless they had to.

"I wonder what Jean wants to talk about?" Rogue said to herself. "Well, I guess I'll have to find out one way or another." she added.

When she stood up there were a few students standing pretty much in front of her. Two girls and one boy. Strangely she hadn't even noticed them until now._ "Damn it, here comes trouble ... again. If it's not one thing it's another."_ she thought.

Rogue tried to make her way past them but they completely blocked her way. The one girl pushed her causing her to fall back down onto the bench. The other two just snickered at this moment.

"Get outta my way ya creeps!" Rogue said angerly. And she stood up again.

"Why? Where do you think you're going freak?" the girl who pushed her said as Rogue tried to escape once more.

This time Rogue didn't say anything back. The girl pushed her again. She was getting quite irritated and knew she wasn't going to be able to take much more.

"Leave me alone!!!" Rogue screamed.

"Ooh, we're making her mad. Oh no." the boy teased and then he pushed her.

"I said leave me the hell alone ya f-ckin' jerks!!!" Rogue yelled feeling even more angry. She was now standing in a fighting position.

"What, are you going to beat us up? Where not afraid of you freak. I bet you're afraid of us though." the one girl teased.

Rogue said nothing back, she just stood her ground. If she couldn't fight them all she'd have to use her powers but just enough for her to slow them down so she could get away.

The boy pushed Rogue again and she was furious at this point. She simply couldn't take anymore so she pushed him back as hard as she could possibly do causing him to lose his balance and fall. As the one girl helped him back up the other girl managed to sneak a punch and it got Rogue right in the stomach. That caused her to double over in pain and she dropped to her knees. The boy was about to brutally kick her in the side when there was an odd interference. The three bullies noticed a card float by them that appeared to be in flames. They backed away from Rogue as the card floated closer to them. They moved back even further to avoid it just before it exploded. They looked in the direction from which it came and saw a man in a long, trench coat and he was getting ready to send more cards their way.

Rogue knew automatically who he was, of course. But why was he back in Bayville? She was confused. _"Where the hell did ya come from swamp rat?"_ she thought. But she was sure glad he was there, in a way. Who knows what those morans would of done. Especially when they're not fighting fair. Three on one, far from fair. She was out-numbered and they managed to trick her.

"What the hell!" the boy yelled when more flaming cards came their way.

The man spoke this time. "Take dat as a warnin'. Leave her alone! Leave all de mutants alone! Do you catch my drift?" he said in a thick, cajun accent. He glared at them.

The three bullies just turned around and ran away. They weren't sure what scared them the most ... the fact that he's charging cards, throwing them and then they explode or that his eyes are red and black and look demon-like. Now who's afraid? Soon they were out of sight.

Gambit made his way over to Rogue who was just staring up at him. She still couldn't believe he was there and now he's right in front of her. He looked down and gazed into her eyes. Then he held out his hand. His gloves only half way covered his fingers but hers covered her hands completely. So it would be safe.

"Are you okay cherie?" he asked with his hand still out for her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." she answered and she finally took his hand and allowed him to help her up. She never took her eyes off of his as she he helped her to her feet. She just stared.

"What's a matter chere? You look like you saw a ghost." he said.

"Somethin' like that. Why are ya back here?" she asked.

"Well, t'ings got crazy down dere. I had to get away an' for good dis time. I'm never goin' back. Plus it's good dat I came back or else you coulda been toast. I saw dat fille punch you in the stomach." he told her.

"Thanks for the help but don't make a big deal outta it. I am grateful just don't let it go to your head swamp rat." she stated.

"Ooh, Remy love pet names. Can I call you river rat?" he said with a grin.

She rolled her eyes. "Let's get back to the point, why'd ya come back to Bayville?" she said with a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"Fine wit' me cherie. I didn't know where else to go an' I know Xavier won't turn me away. I've been t'inkin' 'bout joinin' de X-Men." he explained with a little more seriousness.

"Oh, I guess ya wouldn't know anyone else in this area. Ya know me and some of us. But of course we weren't exactly friends." she told him.

"C'est juste, but I have changed greatly since den. Remy been really t'inkin' over lots of stuff. Dis is my destiny. I'm sure of it." he said.

Rogue looked at him. "Okay. So you're sayin' ya wanna join us?"

"Oui, dat's what I'm sayin' cherie." Remy answered her.

"Well then I guess you'll be comin' home with me?" she said.

"Bien sur mon amour, how could I resist?" he said grinning and then he winked at her.

"First, I am not your love. And second, don't even think about tryin' anything. Ya hear me cajun?" she said placing her hands on her hips.

He held his hands up in defense. "No problem. So you wanna ride wit' me?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" she said thinking his mind had went to the gutter again.

"I parked my bike a couple blocks away. If you don't wanna ride you can jus' walk along side of me. I mean, you'll look funny but ..." he didn't get to finish.

"Alright, just shut up swamp rat. I'll ride with ya. Remember, nothin' funny or I'm sluggin' ya." she warned him as they began to walk away from the school and down the street.

"Entendu." was all he said as they made their way to where he parked his motorcycle.

Once there he got on it and she followed him. She placed her arms around his waist tightly and he grinned. Fortunately she couldn't see his face. He then revved up the bike and began to ride off towards the institute. He felt oddly about going there and seeing the X-Men again. Considering that they were enemies before. But he really had nowhere else to go and he couldn't live on the streets for long. He doesn't have enough money to rent a room anywhere because most of the money he had was spent on the way to New York. Money wasn't really a huge problem, he is a master thief after all. But he just wanted to do something good and become a better person. He was tired of fighting for the wrong reasons. If he had to fight he wanted it to be for the good.

Soon they were outside the gates of the mansion. Remy stopped there and they got off of the bike. He had mixed feelings but he knew he had to confront his fears and go in with her. The main person he knew he'd have to worry about was Logan. _"Remy a big boy, non."_ he thought.

The gates opened and he just pushed his bike in and left it around the corner. It wasn't in plain view but it could be seen. He felt like leaving it there for now.

"Don't ya wanna park that in the garage?" Rogue asked.

"Non, not yet. Remy wanna see how dis goes down first." he told her.

"You'll be fine sugar. Just don't let Logan bother ya." she said hoping she helped.

"I know. Oh he doesn't." he said knowing it was a lie. Having someone like Logan on your bad side was never a good thing.

"Whatever, I wouldn't blame ya if you're afraid of him. He can be ..." she started but was cut off.

"A prick?" he finished.

"Well yeah, but he means well." she said laughing inwardly about his remark. Logan sure could make a bad impression. But once you knew him and he knew you were good he was different.

They kept on walking until they made it to the big double doors. Remy sighed as Rogue opened the door. "Ya ready?" she asked.

"Chose certaine." he answered and she grabbed his hand.

The two stepped inside and she shut the door behind them. Luckily Logan wasn't nearby. Instead they were greeted by Ororo.

"Well hello. Rogue, Jean has been looking for you. She was worried. And we were starting to get the idea that something was wrong." she said to her younger friend. She looked very confused upon seeing Gambit.

"Hi. Oh, I figured she would be. I was supposed to talk with her. I'm fine. I just needed some time to think and then these three morans started to bother me. That's where Gambit came in at." Rogue explained.

"I see. Dinner is about done. Jean's in the kitchen but perhaps you two can talk a little later. And just out of curiosity, what exactly is Gambit doing here? No offense." Ororo said. She hoped she didn't come off as being rude. She was just curious.

"Non taken." Remy said, he understood what she meant.

Rogue was glad he wasn't offended by her words. They really didn't mean anything bad. Ororo wasn't one to judge. "Ororo, um ... I would like to go to the Professor so we can discuss some things. Tell Jean we will definitely speak after dinner, okay."

"Sure dear. Xavier should still be in his study along with Hank. They were going over things. I'm sure they're about done by this time. I just informed them that dinner's almost ready." Ororo said back.

"Great. Thank you so much. You're so sweet." Rogue said and she grabbed Remy's hand again and pulled him with her.

Ororo smiled as she watched Rogue drag Remy with her. After a few moments she turned around and headed back towards the kitchen. She was going to inform Jean that Rogue had arrived and speak with her.

"Well everything's ready. Would you like for me to help you with setting the table?" Jean suggested.

"Oh sure honey." Ororo said. "Rogue just got home but she said she will talk to you after dinner. She has something to do at this time."

"Okay. I thought I heard her. Was someone else with her because I sensed another presence?" Jean said to her friend.

"Yes but I'm not going to reveal it and if you know please keep it quiet, just for now. Rogue took her guest to see Xavier." Ororo explained.

"Oh, of course. I won't say a word." Jean said with a smile.

With that the two women continued to get things set up for dinner. It wouldn't be much longer before everyone would be there to eat. The Professor, Hank, Rogue and Remy my be late. But that my be best for now. They all know that Logan won't take this well. He and Remy never got off on the right foot and probably never will. But if Remy was indeed becoming part of the team Logan would definitely have to deal with it the best he can.

At this time Rogue and Remy had made it to Professor X's study. She reached out her hand getting ready to knock.

"You may come in!" called out the Professor.

She opened the door and after entering the room she closed the door behind her and Remy. Hank looked a bit surprised to see who was with her but Charles just sat there behind his desk with his hands folded as usual.

"We have to talk to you Professor." Rogue said.

"Yes, I know. I could sense it. I am psychic you know." he said with a smile.

Rogue smiled and Remy just wore his usual grin. "Can we talk before dinner? Just breifly. I wanna fill ya in on a few things." Rogue said.

"Yes we can do a short briefing right now. So go ahead and fill me in. You both my come over and have a seat." Xavier said.

The two walked over and sat down. Hank remained where he was. He was uncertain if he should be there though.

"Would you like for me to leave you three be?" he asked.

"You don't have to. If this is what I think it is then you will need to be achknowleged as well as the others at some point today." the Professor stated.

Hank decided to stay. It was true. Apparently Xavier has an idea to what the situation is.

"Well, Remy helped me out today after school. These bullies were really gettin' the best of me. If not for him I have no idea what woulda happened. Then afterwards we got to talkin' and he said that he had to leave New Orleans and he wasn't goin' back. So he has nowhere to go." Rogue said.

Charles looked at her and then to Remy. "And he knows he'll be welcome here?"

"Yeah Professor. At least by the majority of ya'all." she said.

Xavier raised an eyebrow for he knew what she was talking about. He glanced at her then back to Remy. "Well you have my word that if you are here on good terms then no one can interfere with that."

"But Logan can't stand moi. He has dis huge hatred for me an' it's crazy." Remy said.

"Logan has no say in who becomes one of us or not. I know you're not here to cause any problems. I can sense your sincerity. From where I am you are just as good as any of us. I'm glad you came here. If you find it's not what you truly want you could always leave. But you'll always be welcome by me. I believe that people can change and I believe you have greatly. After dinner I will call all of the X-Men together in the rec room and we will go over everything. Don't let Logan get to you. He means well, he just goes about things the wrong way sometimes." the Professor explained.

"I know dis is what I want. I've been t'inkin' 'bout it a lot." Remy stated. "I do understand to a point why Logan doesn't like me. After all, I was de enemy. I worked for Magneto. Den not too mention dat I was de one who kidnapped Rogue and dat didn't settle well wit' him. She means a lot to him. I guess he sees her as a daughter or somet'in'. But oui, dis is what I want." he went on.

"Then all we have to do is have a group meeting to make it official. I'm sure most will take it fairly well. Of course it'll take some getting used to. You may join us for dinner but I suggest you don't eat with the group just yet. Rogue, would you mind bringing him something down and eating down here with him?" Professor X said.

"No, of course not." she said.

"Then you had better hurry. I'll cover for you until dinners over. Once everyone's finished I'll inform you. Does anyone aside from us in this room know of this?" He told her.

"Yeah, Storm. I don't know about any others, unless Jean does 'cause you know that she can sense things too." Rogue said.

"Well that's no problem, I know neither of them will say anything unless told to do so. That'll be all for now. Go ahead and get dinner for you two. I'll be on my way. I will let you know when to join us all." the Professor told her then he wheeled himself out of his study.

Hank followed but allowed Rogue to exit first. But before he left he turned to Remy. "If Xavier senses you're sincere and is okay with this than so am I." he said and he held out his hand.

"Merci mom ami." Remy said and the two shook hands.

Soon Remy was left alone in the study. He just sat there deep in thought as he waited for Rogue to return. He was so nervous but he really did want to be here. He knew he had to overcome his fear._ "Why is Remy so nervous?"_ he asked himself.

Just then Remy heard something on the other side of the door. He thought it was Rogue so he stood up to go and help her in. But before he could open the door it flung open._ "Oh merde, dat's why."_ Remy thought.

"Gumbo! I knew I smelled a rat." Logan growled and his claws popped out. He had just finished in the danger room and the students went to have dinner. They had well earned it. That's where he was headed but on his way he picked up on a odd but familiar scent.

"Wolverine. It's not what you t'ink. I assure you." Remy said prepared to fight back if necessary. Though he was hoping Logan would back down. What was he thinking? This is Logan. The man who totally despised him.

"I don't care bub. What the hell are ya doin' in the Professor's study?" Logan said gruffly with his claws still detracted.

"I came here wit' Rogue. Xavier knows I'm here." Remy said.

"Is that so?" Logan started towards Remy and he held up his right hand, claws pointed at Remy.

Just then Rogue entered the doorway. She automatically placed then trays of food on the floor around the corner of the room. "Logan, leave him alone!" she yelled.

Logan spun around to face her. " What?! He's our enemy. He shouldn't be in this mansion."

"Correction, he 'was' our enemy. He's long left Magneto's acolytes and he was in New Orleans since the time ya'all came to get me. He was thinkin' over so many things and decided to return to Bayville. He wants to become an X-Man." Rogue said defensively.

"Can it Stripes. I don't buy it for a second. In my opinion this is a bunch of bullsh-t." Logan stopped talking and looked towards the doorway and he retracted his claws. "Professor..."

"Rogue, Remy, take your dinner upstairs. You may eat in the rec room. I told Jean and Ororo to make sure none of the students enter there until everyone's finished with dinner." Xavier paused for a moment. "I could sense something wrong so I came to check it out." he finished.

Both Rogue and Remy nodded in agreement. As the two went to leave the room Remy bent down and retrieved the trey and they headed out. The Professor then turned his attention to Logan who appeared to be stunned.

"Then Gumbo wasn't lyin' about you knowing he was here?" he asked.

"No, and I don't appreciate your interrogation on him. He isn't here to cause any sort of trouble. He's simply trying to become a better person and I strongly advise you not to try to start a fight. Like it or not, Gambit is more than likely going to be part of this team. I have the final say in it, not you. I find him sincere to his word and I'm sure I would know otherwise." Professor X stated on a serious, stern note.

"Yes, but I don't like it not one bit." Logan admitted.

"That's fine, but I don't want another incident like this to take place. Do you understand me Logan?" the Professor said still holding a stern and serious tone. "I'm not saying you have to like him, I just don't want to see what I just saw again." he added.

"Yeah, whatever you say Chuck. He just better stay outta my way." Logan said gruffly and he went to exit the room.

"Logan." said Xavier.

"What?!"

"Just remember what I said. We're all getting together after dinner for a discussion and to welcome him. I hope you attend the meeting." said the Professor.

"Believe me, I'll be there. I don't trust him one bit but that's me. If you sense he's not here to cause any problems then I'll have to take your word. I just hope you're not wrong. Now I'm going to get a bite to eat." Logan said and then he left.

"I'm certain Gambit's here on good terms. Hopefully Logan will see it." Charles said to himself then he wheeled himself out of his study so he could have dinner as well.

Translations:

_C'est juste_ - That's right

_Bien sur mon amour_ - Of course my love

_Entendu_ - Agreed, very well and etc.

_Chose certaine_ - Sure thing

_Moi - _Me

_Merci mon ami_ - Thank you my friend

_Merde_ - Sh-t (in this case but it can mean a few things)

Well that was the first actual chapter. I hope you all liked it. Sorry for the long, long wait but it's been difficult. I changed so many things in the chapter so hopefully it's good now. I did as good as I could on the accents. If I spelled anything wrong inform me and I'll fix it:) Just review and let me know what ya think and everything:) Thank you all:)


	3. Working Things Out

Chapter Two

Everyone has finished with their dinner and were all gathered in the rec room. Aside from Remy who was waiting for his cue to enter. Charles wanted to do a proper introduction. He thought he'd explain a few things before allowing Remy to join the group. There were only a handful of them who knew what the meeting was for. Scott and all of the younger teammates had no clue yet. Soon the Professor began to speak.

"I have arranged this little gathering to announce something extremely important. It's something that many of you may find quite out of the ordinary but you'll have to trust me on it." Xavier explained.

After a few more words Professor Xavier finally told them that they were going to have a new teammate. Once he announced that it was Gambit there was a lot of talking amongst the group. The ones who already knew looked back and forth to each other momentarily.

"Only Rogue, Ororo, Hank, Logan, I and, more than likely, Jean knew he was here." he continued after everyone gradually hushed down.

"Yes, we figured it best to keep it quiet until after dinner. I didn't really know what Gambit's true intentions were, though I believe that Professor Xavier would know if he were up to something." Ororo stated.

By the means of telepathy the Professor finally summoned Remy to enter the room. He walked in feeling very nervous. Everyone's eyes were on him. Some looked shocked, others looked confused and Logan appeared to be furious. He moreless glared at the young man. Remy just kept walking until he found Rogue who was seated on a sofa. He sat beside her on the arm and their eyes met for a few seconds. He winked flirtatiously at her and she rolled her eyes and looked away. He grinned and laughed inwardly.

Hank now spoke up. "I was with Charles in his study when Rogue brought Gambit to see him. I too believe he's here on good terms. So try not to give our new member an extremely hard time." he said and at the end of his last sentence he glanced to Logan who was sitting in a corner.

Upon that Jean decided to jump in. She knew Remy was the enemy but she also knew that people can and do change. "I also sense that Gambit's being honest with us. So with two psychics saying it's okay you all should take our word." she told them with a touch of humor towards the end.

Everyone smiled or laughed, except Logan. This didn't phase him at all. Though it was true.

Ororo visually scanned the room and she stopped when her eyes met up with Logan's. She decided to try to convince him, if only a little. She knew it would probably be a waste of time but it was worth the try. She knew Logan could be kind if he truly wanted. "Logan, you seriously can't doubt the Professor's intuition ... can you? He and Jean would have caught onto anything odd. I myself think Gambit's intentions are good. So please just give him a chance. You weren't exactly the perfect candidate in the beginning either but look how you've changed. You're still rough around the edges but you've smoothed out so much." she said hoping he'd snap out of it. She believed in giving second chances.

Logan looked away from her for a moment and looked back. She was right. When he first joined the team he was a very angry and an extremely hard person to deal with. His heart was filled with hatred and revenge but he did indeed change qutie a lot. However, he still didn't back down or take any crap from anyone.

"That's very true but I don't know. I just don't feel right about this. At first I wasn't too fond of Piotr joinin' up with us but I had previous clues that he wasn't exactly a bad guy. Gambit I'm still not so sure about." he said looking directly at Remy. "Why exactly does he want to be an X-Man?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know why as well." Scott said out of confusion and curiosity. He had no idea to why Remy would want to join up with them. Other than the fact that he may want to be closer to Rogue. Scott was uneasy but not unwilling to give Remy a try.

"Well Logan, Scott, I'm not one hundred persent sure myself but he's being sincere. You have my word. And not to mention Jean's. He ... well Gambit, why don't you explain yourself to everyone?" Professor X said motioning for him to step forth.

Remy was so nervous. He's never felt like this before. But despite his feelings he got up and walked over to where Xavier, Hank and Ororo were. Logan still sat in the corner, arms crossed over his chest and keeping a close watch on Remy.

After a few moments Remy begain to explain to everyone the same things he told Rogue, Hank and Charles. Most seemed to take him seriously while others were unsure. Scott was a little edgy about the situation, only because Remy used to work for Magneto and was their enemy. But Piotr turned out to be a loyal teammate so who could say that Remy couldn't or wouldn't. Logan still looked unimpressed.

After many moments of talking amongst the group everyone finally quieted down. Scott looked at Xavier who just gave him a look that said "just trust me".

Scott then glanced over his team and at last to Remy. "Okay, welcome to the team Gambit. I can't doubt the Professor, or Jean." Scott said with a smile. He then stood up and walked over to Remy to shake his hand.

"Merci. You won't be disappointed in moi." he said as he shook Scott's hand. He felt grateful at this point. He had to work mainly on one person's respect and that may very well be the hardest thing he ever had to do.

"You're welcome. I sure hope you don't disappoint us." Scott said back then he headed over to sit with Jean again.

Remy thought he should throw in some more words. "Dis is a big step for me. But I did a lotta t'inkin' dis over. I wanna become a better person an' I know bein' on dis team will definitely make me dat." he stated. He still felt a little nervous, after all he was talking to a bunch of people that he used to be against. "I know I've made many mistakes in my life ... too many to count ... joinin' up wit' Magneto was one of the worst ones. I know how wrong I was an' I'd like to make it right. I know dis isn't a mistake. Every since I discovered my powers I've been using dem for bad an' I wanna use dem for good. Dat's all I can say."

There was silence for a brief moment until Professor Xavier spoke. "Very well said Gambit."

"Please call me Remy."

"Very well, Remy. I'm sure the majority of us believe you to be honest. Some will take longer than others. And some may never trust you." the Professor said. As he spoke he glanced in each directoin to which he spoke of. "This will be a challenge but I have faith it will all turn out for the best. Well this meeting is complete, unless anyone has anything more to say. And I want to press that all of you can voice your opinions."

At first nobody said anything. It was clear that they had a new member and most were okay with that. Scott still felt oddly but trusted Xavier's instinct. Even Jean sensed Remy's sincerity. Logan didn't fully buy it but he's not going to go against Xavier and everyone else. There has to be something good in Remy if the Professor and Jean sense it. But no matter what it'll take a long, long time for him to have respect for Remy. If he ever does.

Finally after an odd break of silence Piotr thought he'd speak up on behalf of Remy. "I'd like to say that I have no doubts. I spent time with him before. He wasn't always the best to be around at those times but they were hard times. He has changed a great deal since then. Just remember, I too was on Magneto's side, as Logan had stated. Although I didn't have to do nearly as much to convince you all." Piotr said. "He deserves a chance to prove he's really not a bad person." he looked at Logan.

Sure Remy used to be a bad guy. Piotr knows that he didn't always agree with Magneto but he had to do what he was told. Piotr really had no choice at all other than to obey. He was glad that was all over.

"Merci mon ami." Remy said with a smile. He felt grateful to have him as a friend.

"No problem comrade." Piotr said back smiling too. He was glad to help.

Xavier looked to everyone. "Anyone else?" he asked.

"Well it's nice to have another member but I hope we soon get some more women. There's more guys. Oh but maybe that's not a bad thing." said Tabitha. She had to add some humor to the group meeting.

"Tabitha!" Amara said and she playfully hit her best friend on the arm.

Everybody had to laugh at that. But it was a fact, they didn't have as many female teammates as male teammates. Strangely, Logan even grinned at that remark. _"Kids."_ he thought.

"Well it's great to have another teammate." Kurt decided to say.

"Yeah. I just hope we are doing the right thing." Kitty said with a touch of suspicion in her eyes. She trusted Professor X and Jean but she a bit uneasy about it. It would fade in no time though.

"Have no doubts my petite chaton." Remy said.

Kitty knew he called her "little kitty" since she had helped Rogue study her French before. She would give the definition and Rogue would give the word. And she learned how to pronounce some of the words so she could say the word and Rogue could spell them.

No one else said anything. It appeared that Remy had been accepted by the majority of them. That was definitely a good thing by far.

After moments Xavier broke the silence. "I suppose this meeting is over. Scott, would you show Remy to a room?" the Professor asked.

"Sure thing." Scott said.

Soon the rec room emptied out. Jean looked over at Rogue who still remained on the sofa. They were the only two in the room now. _"This is my chance."_ Jean thought.

"Um, Rogue." she said as she headed over to her friend.

"Yeah."

"Is it a good time for us to talk?" Jean asked.

"Oh sure" Rogue answered. She was still feeling oddly about them talking.

"Good." said Jean as she sat down beside Rogue. "I just want to talk about us. Our friendship had gotten a bit stronger throughout the years but I still feel a distance between us."

"I know. To be honest, I just don't feel that close to ya Jean. We're so different, like day and night. But don't get me wrong, I do care about ya and I'd never want to see anything bad happen to ya. Although there was a time I wasn't so sure." Rogue explained.

"I've noticed. I know you care and everything, I'm very thankful for that. Oh I know, you used to hate me with a passion." Jean said. "I'm glad you don't anymore."

"Me too. But I don't think we'll ever be close." Rogue said and she looked down.

"Why not? Just because we're two completely different people doesn't mean we can't be close. Maybe we have more in common than we know. Look at you and Kitty. You two are far from being one-hundred percent compatable and you're best friends. I know you share a room with her and all but that proves you don't have to have everything in common to be close." Jean told her.

Rogue was still looking down. "Yeah but we have nothin' in common. Except for the fact that we're mutants, we live here and we're X-Men. We're completely opposite otherwise."

"Look at me Rogue." Jean said. Rogue eventually looked back at Jean. "You don't know that. You never gave me a chance to get to know you on a more deeper level. We never really hung out therefore we've never gotten to truly know each other to the core. You'd see that if you'd give me a chance that you'd like me a lot more. Now we may never be best friends but we'd at least be much, much closer."

"Yeah, but what could we do? We don't like the same music. Plus, you like the mall, I don't. You're so beautiful and so put together, I'm not. You can touch, I can't." Rogue said feeling badly about herself. Her eyes got watery but she held back the tears.

Jean could see the pain in her eyes. She truly felt for her. "Maybe we don't have the same taste in music. Yes, I do like the mall and you don't. And maybe I am more put together and can touch. But listen Rogue, you are beautiful. Very beautiful. Never let anyone tell you any different. And maybe you can't touch physically but you have touched everyone much deeper. You've touched our hearts. You truly are a wonderful, beautiful person, inside-out. Your inner beauty doesn't always show because you can be so bitter and angry, but when it does show it's amazing. I sense it very often."

"Jean ... " Rogue started to say but paused a moment. Jean's words sank into her so deep. She never knew how much Jean really loved her. Rogue's emotions were on a rollercoaster right now. Her eyes filled with tears but she still held back. "You're wonderful too. I never knew how sweet you really were. I was too busy dislikin' this or that about ya to realize anything else. I guess I was so wrong about ya."

"See, we can relate to one another. I've been trying to reach out to you for so long. Every time I had a chance to speak with you alone I brushed it aside. I was so afraid of what you would say. I thought you'd push me away. I suppose I was wrong too. We were both wrong about each other." Jean said. She could see the tears in Rogue's eyes.

"Yeah, I guess so. But there was a time a woulda pushed ya away. Uh, did you really mean everything ya said to me?" said Rogue still fighting her emotions.

"Of course I did. I would never say anything false to you or anyone else. I just hope our little talk helped fill in that gap between us." Jean said.

"I think it did. I no longer think you're a b-tch." Rogue said forcing a smile.

"Me a b-tch! I used to think you were one. I mean you were so mean to me." Jean said feeling shocked.

"I know, sorry about that. At least now I know that you were never out to get me. And you were popular 'cause people just love you." said Rogue. She felt so bad for how she had treated Jean, even a little embarassesd.

"No way, I'm sorry I came off that way. Yes, my popularity had nothing to do with trying to be better than everyone else. Of course that ended fast when our mutations were revealed. I found out who was fake, which was pretty much all of my friends who were ordinary humans. Oh well. Anyway, that's the past. So what do you say, is it a truce?" Jean asked.

"Sure. It's pointless to be so distant from ya when ya truly never did anything to me. I'm just a stubborn person sometimes. But I've gotta stop pushin' people away. Plus we have enough problems and us fightin' amongst ourselves isn't makin' matters any better." Rogue answered. The fact was that over the years she had grown much closer to mostly everyone. Only a small fraction with Jean but it was due to so much misjudgement and misunderstanding.

Jean was very happy with Rogue's response. "Great. Can I get a hug?" Jean said, hoping she hadn't pushed it.

"Um, I don't know ... uh, well I guess. What's the harm?" Rogue said.

The two girls shared an embrace. It was awkward but at the same time quite comforting. Jean nor Rogue ever thought they'd be hugging each other.

After a bit they pulled back and looked at one another.

_"That sure was nice."_ Rogue thought.

"It sure was." Jean said not realizing that she had just read Rogue's mind. She knew she hated that. "I'm sorry." she apologized.

"It's fine, just don't do it again." Rogue said with a hint of humor in her voice.

Jean laughed. "I'll try not to. Well, it's getting a bit late so I think I'm going to turn in for the night. I'm glad we talked and were able to set aside our differences."

"Okay. Yeah me as well. Hopefully our friendship will get much stronger." Rogue said. "G'night."

"Yes. Goodnight." Jean said back. _"This went much better than I had predicted."_ Jean thought.

Just as Jean was leaving the room Remy showed up. He was wearing his usual grin. He had seen them hug.

"Aren't you two goin' to go upstairs together?" Remy asked.

"Huh? Why?" Jean asked feeling confused.

Rogue appeared to be just as confused.

"Well, Remy saw you two hug an' whoa did it look hot." he said.

"What! You're sick ya swamp rat! No offense Jean." Rogue said.

"None taken." Jean said to Rogue and then she smacked Remy on the arm. "Men." she then left the room.

"Is my little river rat goin' to hit moi too?" Remy flirted as he walked over to Rogue and sat beside her.

"No, ya'd like it too much." she said.

"Can't argue wit' dat." he said with a smirk.

"I think I'm goin' to head off to bed myself. I'm bushed." Rogue said with a yawn and she stretched.

"Can Remy join ya?" he asked.

"No ... unless ya wanna sleep forever Cajun." she said.

"Non, I was jus' kiddin' around wit' you." Remy said. _"Oh but I sure wish I could jus' sleep b'side you."_ he thought.

"Ya better be. Anyway, g'night." she said as she stood up to exit the room.

"Bonne nuit." he said as she headed out. But then he jumped up and ran after her. "Can't we at least walk upstairs together an' den go our separate ways?" he asked.

"I guess. It can't hurt. But nothin' funny or you'll be seein' the bottom of the stairs pretty damn quick." she said and she playfully pushed him.

Remy held his hands up. "No problem."

So they walked together until they reached the rooms. They said goodnight again and then went to their own rooms. Rogue was happy to have him walk with her. More than she wanted to even believe. He had no idea she really enjoyed his company. He just loved the fact that he was able to spend a few more minutes of his time with her. And he was going to be near her whether she liked it or not. He wouldn't have it any other way.

_Well I hope you all enjoyed this:) I read over it numerous times and made lots of changes and it finally sounded right. Hopefully it sounds right to you:) Anyway, please R&R:) I can't wait to see what you think:)_


	4. Trying To Belong

**Chapter Three**

Tuesday morning has arrived and it's a usual day at the institute. The students have all awaken and are getting ready for school. The younger ones are already downstairs waiting to eat. Ororo is making breakfast while Hank is setting the table up. This time they'll have an extra seat to set. Professor Xavier is in his study at this time going over a formula he and Hank had been working on for months. They both think it's about ready for they've done much testing on it. Logan's in the rec room sitting on a chair reading the newspaper. And of course he has a cup of coffee close at hand. Pretty normal for him.

Jean and Scott are awake upstair but they want to have a little time to themselves before breakfast. They have some time now. Jean only has two classes, one at 11:00AM and the other at 7:00PM. She's glad she doesn't have to rush out this morning. That may give her and Scott some time together.

At this moment they are in her room sitting on her bed discussing things about Remy. Jean believed him to be very sincere but Scott was still somewhat skeptical, even though he had indeed welcomed him to the team. It will just take a lot of getting used to. Sure Piotr didn't have a hard time being accepted, it wasn't one hundred percent easy but it wasn't too bad. Though, unlike Remy, his background wasn't that of a bad guy. Piotr was simply a good-hearted person who was caught up in Magneto's evil ways. He had no choice. Remy on the other had a choice and he chose on his own free will to be bad. But he had learned that being like that gets you nowhere except into trouble. He has contemplated over and over throughout the past year and realized how wrong he was. Ever since he kidnapped Rogue and they parted he's been quetioning his life. Now he honestly wants to set things right. It's too bad that only Charles and Jean can really see his sincerity. Ororo and Hank believe in Remy too, but mainly due to the fact that they trust and respect the Professor's insights and words of wisdom.

"Scott, I thought you were okay with him?" Jean questioned.

"I am, I just wouldn't trust him with my life, not quite yet. I know that he has to be true to his word if the Professor, and you, say he is. You both would know if he was lying or plain out up to something. Plus Hank and Ororo are fine with everything." Scott explained to her.

"Well it isn't unusual to feel that way considering who and how he was ... but he is different now. As you already know I also can sense it. I'm glad you're not totally unconvinced about him like Logan is. He'll be the main person Remy'll have to work hard to earn respect and trust from." she said and she looked at him through his shades.

"I know. Of course, like Professor X said "This will be a challenge". I am giving Gambit a chance but he'll have to work for my respect and trust too. I won't just hand it to him on a silver platter, you know. Although, as you've pointed out, I'm not the harshest person here. He'll definitely have to work his ass off to win Logan's respect and trust. Even at that it may be at a loss because Logan may never do so even halfway." he went on explaining.

"So true and there's no doubt that this will be a challenge but I have faith. I'm sure it will all turn out for the better, at least for the most part. Who knows, maybe Logan will see his potential someday ... a long, long, long time from now." she said trying to add a little humor to her words.

It worked because Scott smiled. "Oh I love you." was all he said before he leaned forward and placed his lips over hers.

She moved in close and they put their arms around one another. His around her waist and hers around his neck. They fell back and he pulled her on top of him. She giggled and he laughed, then soon they were kissing again. But this time more deeper and passionate. His hands wandered a bit then he rested them on her waist. Her hands were on his chest but she moved them up around the back of his neck and then she weaved her fingers through his hair.

In moments she pulled him over on top of her. She had one knee bent with her leg against his hip while the other remained straight. He just laid over her and kissed her ever so passionately as his hands wandered over her body and hers over his. They were caught up in romance and passion.

* * *

At the same time, Kurt had stopped over at Kitty's and Rogue's room to hang with them before breakfast. They weren't ready to head downstairs so they've decided to talk for a bit. They would have went down but they wanted to avoid the younger students for a little while longer. They figure they'll hang together until breakfast is ready to serve. 

"So, tell me the truth, do ya'all really accept Remy? Please be honest." Rogue asked.

"Rogue, I'm not sure. He did kidnap you before and drag you all the way down to New Orleans." Kurt said.

"Yeah, he's kind of sneaky and not to be rude but ... a tad bit creepy. But he is quite a hottie." Kitty stated.

"You're right, he did kidnap me but I actually enjoyed bein' with him. Oddly, when we weren't fightin' for our lives I had a good time and I believe he did as well. He took me there during Mardi Gras and that's somethin' I hadn't been to in years. And yeah, he is sneaky but I don't find him creepy." Rogue said and she couldn't believe she just admitted she actually liked him. She didn't even respond to the part of Kitty's comment where she called Remy a "hottie". At least not verbally.

"Well that's because you really, really like him sis." Kurt teased.

"Do not." Rogue said. _"Is it that obvious that I like him a little more than I say I do?"_ she thought.

"Kurt and I know you very well. More than you may think. And I agree with him, he's onto something. And come on, I happen to share a room with you." Kitty said grinning.

"I don't like him, like him. I barely know him. I just can tolerate him a lot more 'cause he's not as much of a jerk as I thought he was." Rogue said still denying her true feelings. She did feel she was slowly fallling for him. It was just something about him. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Okay." Kurt said.

It's was kind of obvious that she wasn't being completely honest with them. It's just that they saw how her face lit up when she saw Remy. She had this glow to her face and sparkles in her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever you say." Kitty said letting it go.

"Yep, we'll let it go." Kurt added trying to be more serious.

"Thank you guys." Rogue told them. She obviously knew that they truly knew that she feels more that what she admits to feeling. She doesn't have to spill it out when it's already clear to them. So what. Maybe she likes Remy more than just a friend.

"You're welcome." Kitty said.

"Yeah, sorry to pester you." Kurt apologized. Then he just remembered that Rogue and Jean were to talk out there problems. He never got the outcome of that yet. "Oh I don't know if you spoke with Kitty yet, but how did your talk with Jean go?" he decided to ask. A nice way to change the subject.

"Yep, I talked to Kitty as soon as I got up here last night. But since ya don't know, it went well. Much better than I had imagined. Turns out that Jean's not the b-tch that I made her out to be. She's actually quite nice. I mean I could see after a while that she was more pleasant to be around than I thought. I allowed our differences to be an excuse to not get closer to her. Hopefully everything's fine now." Rogue explained.

"See, told you she wasn't out to get you." Kurt said.

Kitty shook her head in agreement. "Yep, that's the same thing I always said."

"I know, I know ... it's just that I can be such a stubborn person." Rogue told them.

Just now Xavier had telepathically informed everyone upstairs that breakfast was ready. Kitty, Kurt and Rogue left the room still talking. They ran into Jean and Scott as they exited Jean's room hand in hand. And they looked all kind of sappy.

"Hey Jean, what were you two doing." Kitty teased.

"Nothing, just hanging out." Jean replied.

Kitty grinned and looked at Kurt and Rogue who grinned back. From the expressions on Jean's and Scott's faces it was obvious that they weren't only "talking".

"Really, we weren't doing anything." Jean said smiling.

Scott smiled too. They weren't really "just talking" but they didn't go all the way. They were just doing what they normally do. Besides, they wouldn't of had nearly enough time.

Kitty and Kurt giggled some more. Rogue just grinned and looked over at Jean and Scott. "These two are just hopeless today. Don't pay attention to them." Rogue said. Jean and Scott smiled at Rogue and Jean also rolled her eyes about the way Kitty and Kurt were teasing.

"Hey!" Kitty and Kurt both shouted.

Rogue grinned at them. Jean and Scott still smiled. Those two were crazy, especially when put together.

"You guys can stop because Jean and I didn't do anything." Scott decided to say.

"Yeah, and even if we did it's no one's business but ours." Jean added not realizing until she was finished that her comment made it sound like they did do something. She quickly tried to recover after Scott gave her an odd look. "Um, but we didn't. I mean come on, we'd need more time than a few minutes."

At this time the five friends came upon Remy. He met up with them and walked along side Rogue. There was no doubt that he wouldn't walk beside her. Their eyes met for a brief moment.

"Bonjour cherie." Remy said and he placed his arm around her waist.

"Good mornin' swamp rat." Rogue said back and she then reached around and moved his arm off of her.

All he did was smirk. She didn't even have to look at him to know that. It was something he always did in times like that and she often wished she could wipe it right off of his face.

Remy liked to see how far he could push her so he ended up placing his arm back around her. This time he squeezed her side. She looked up at him with a look of annoyance but he kept his arm around her. As he looked at her a smirk swept over his face again.

"Move it or lose it, Cajun." Rogue said and she didn't sound as if she were joking.

Remy moved his arm. "Touchy touchy. Remy sorry, cherie. Do you forgive moi?"

"Sure I guess, just stop touchin' me swamp rat." she said on a bit of a softer tone.

"Fine but I thought you liked it when I touched you, non." he flirted.

"Ya never quit do ya?" she asked.

"Nope. I jus' can't help myself when I'm around such a belle like you." he said still flirting.

Rogue rolled her eyes but she was flattered. He often complimented her and she loved that. Even if she won't admit it.

After a little more walking they were all downstairs and in the kitchen with everyone else. They all seated theirselves. Jean and Scott, Kitty and Kurt and then at last Rogue and Remy. Luckily Logan was far from where Remy sat. Remy was beside Tabitha who kept eying him up. He flashed her his usual smirk and he winked at her. She grinned at him and then turned her attention back to talking to her friends and eating.

_"Even de younger femmes like Remy."_ he thought.

Just then Jean's eyes were on him. He noticed her glance and looked over to her. He forgot that she could pick up on people's thoughts. He just smiled at her. She then shook her head and smiled back.

* * *

Breakfast was over and everybody went to do what they had to do. Most went to school. Ororo and Hank went to teach the few students they had. The Professor headed to his study to get some things done while Logan and the remaining X-Men made their way to the danger room. Remy was about to have his first "Logan Session" and he really wasn't too thrilled about the idea. 

Soon enough Logan, Jean, Scott, Angel, Piotr and Remy were all in the room. Logan had set up the program and everyone was waiting for it to activate. As holograms popped up Remy's eyes darted from one corner to another. He had never seen anything like it.

They all knew he had never done anything quite like this before and as Jean looked to him she noticed how he had positioned himself in a fighting stance. "It's good that you look prepaired though don't worry Remy, it's only a program. But it's not a game. I just hope Logan is starting you off on a fairly easy session." she said and then she looked over at Logan.

"I figure that Gumbo there can handle a good workout." Logan said.

"So do I." Scott agreed. "He'll do fine." That was one of the very few times that Logan and Scott agreed on something.

Angel and Piotr stood there just listening to the others. They already knew that these sessions are quite a challenge. But they're still alive and they both know that Remy can survive them as well. He's far from being wimpy.

Jean looked over to Scott and then to Logan, who wore an odd expression, and she raised an eyebrow. She then placed her hands on her hips. She was about to speak but Logan cut her off.

"No worries Jeanie, I set it on medium. I think he can manage it."

"Yeah, I'll be fine. So don't worry 'bout moi." Remy said and he winked at her.

Scott took notice and he didn't really like that gesture too well. He gave Remy a dirty look. Remy caught onto it and looked away. He definitely didn't want Scott upset with him. He was just being himself. But now there was only one woman he had his sights set on. As odd as he found that to be. A player like him only wanting one girl. And to top it off, a girl he may never be able to touch. Still he loved to flirt and there were at least a few attactive women on the team, old enough that is. He knew that that irritated Rogue, even though they aren't dating or anything it got under her skin. He loved to annoy her more than he loved to flirt, unless he was doing so with her. He knew that deep down she liked him more than she let on. Ever since she had helped him down in New Orleans he could notice that she didn't hate him.

As the entire program that Logan had set up began to unfold he placed everyone in teams. Since there were six members he decided he'd split them into three per team.

"Okay, quickly. There's six of us but I'm dividing us. Gumbo and Bird Boy, you're with me. So I guess that leaves Red, Visor Boy and Tin Man for the other team." he ordered.

Remy laughed inwardly about the nicknames that Logan had given everyone. Scott never cared for it much but he's not about to argue with Logan. He's been there, done that and quite frankly he doesn't really want to go there now.

The two teams took their places and the training began. Logan's team had to make their way through a bunch of obstacles, many were metallic and sharp objects. He figured he could slice through them with his claws. Remy can dodge them, throw charged cards at them and blow them up or hit them with his bo-staff and Angel can fly around them. Between the three they could make it.

The other team had lots of obstacles as well but it was more with cannon-like machines that shot out lazer beams. They had to get out of the way before the lazors hit them. Jean could block the beam with her telekinetic abilities, Scott could blast it through his visor and Piotr could hardly be affected by it due to his powers. It would hit him, of course, but he could stand his ground. Although, if he needed help Jean and Scott wouldn't hesitate to lend a hand and vice versa.

On Logan's team there were huge, metal blade-like objects flying around nearly everywhere. One came towards him and he used his claws to destroy it. A blade came towards Remy and he tossed a card at it and it blew up. A blade came towards Angel and he dodged it quickly. Although for a second he let his guards down and thought he was okay but out of nowhere another blade came at him. He didn't have time to react. All of a sudden he felt one of his team members push him and they both fell down getting out of the way. They stood up, it was Remy who helped him. Moreless saved him. That blade would have more than likely shredded him.

"Thanks." Angel said gratefully.

"You're welcome." Remy said back.

Logan took out the object. "Good job Cajun. Bird Boy, remember to stay alert at all times." he said.

The three made their way onto the next level. It didn't get a whole lot harder for them. But in this round they'd have to stay a little more alert.

"Pay attention to everything." Logan informed.

The other team was almost done but that may be because it has two original members who have been doing this kind of thing for a long time. And their training isn't as hectic. No blades. Not that lazor beams are all that great though.

A lazer cannon shot out continuous beams as Jean levitated herself and tried to block them from hitting the other two. She was doing well for a long time but now she's having some difficulty. The program was gradually getting harder as it went on. The end is usually more intense than the beginning.

"Uh ... I can't hold it back much longer." she yelled. Just seconds after she said that her psychic shield weakened and the beam struck her in the side and she began to fall.

"No!" Scott yelled and he was about to run to her.

"Allow me, you take care of the lazers." Piotr said. He then ran towards Jean and caught her just in time.

Scott had agreed and he blasted the lazer cannon. He knew he had to take out the machine because it was too high up for Piotr. And he also knew that Jean would be safe.

Finally they were finished. That was the most brutal part of the training sesson. Those last machines were quite harsh.

Scott raced over to Piotr who held Jean. She was cradled in his arms. He handed her over to Scott.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"She is. She's just stunned." Piotr told him.

Soon Logan's team finished up. Remy had a little nick above his eyebrow and Angel had a small slash across his forearm right through his uniform, nothing major though. However, Angel's arm was bleeding. Logan's uniform was torn a bit but as usual he was fine.

The room changed back to normal and the two teams met up. Logan and his team saw Scott holding Jean. They all looked to one anther.

"What happened to Red?" Logan asked feeling concerned.

"She'll be okay. She was struck by the lazor machine. She's just knocked out. I think she was trying too hard to block it's beams. And it weakened her, making her vulnerable." Scott said hoping she really was alright. She appeared to be fine.

"We'll take her up to the infirmary to be safe, along with you two." Logan said and then he looked at Angel and Remy.

"Remy's fine, just a scratch." he said.

"You're still getting it looked at." Logan said.

"Oui Monsieur Logan." Remy said back.

The six of them exited the danger room. Jean was taken up to the infirmary by Scott. And the other two injured members followed. Logan went to get Hank. By now he should be available. And he figures that they'd only need him since it's not a dire need for more than his assistance.

* * *

In a few moments Hank made his way into the infirmary with Logan alongside him. Logan wanted to make sure Jean was okay for sure. She was now awake so apparently she was. And wanted to know that the other two were. He knew Remy was but Angel was bleeding still. 

Hank headed over to her first. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine. I think I"ll be okay. It just knocked me out." Jean told him. She appeared to be fine.

"Well just remain here until I tend to Warren and Remy. They have wounds that need looked at." he stated. She nodded her head. "I'm sure you'll be fine but I just want to make sure." he added.

He moved over to Angel first. His uniform was torn so the wound was very visible. "It doesn't look too bad but it's a little deep. You'll need a few stitches." Hank told him.

"Alright. I hope it doesn't hurt too much." Angel said kind of jokingly, for he knew it probably would hurt.

"Well, it most likely will but once finished it'll feel much better." Hank told him then he went to Remy.

He took a look at Remy's wound. "This'll be easy. It's just a nick." Hank said and he got out some rubbing alcohol to clean the wound. He cleaned it and placed a small band-aid on it. "You're free to go." he said at last with a smile.

"Merci mon ami." Remy said then he got up. "Good luck wit' de stitches" he said to Angel before leaving the infirmary.

"Yes, thank you." Angel said back to him.

Hank was now by Angel's side. "This will only hurt a bit." he said as he got prepared to stitch up the wound. He rubbed the wound with alcohol and soon enough he was stitching it up. Not much longer it was over. Hank finished and placed some ointment over the stitched wound. Then he put a square band-aid over it. "Those will fall out when it's healed." he said upon finishing it.

"Okay. Now I get to thank you." Angel said.

"It seems you've been doing a lot of that today." Logan jumped in.

"Yeah, I have." Angel said back. He then got up but before he headed out he looked over to Jean. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Jean told him with a smile.

With that Angel left. After being there for only a little while he already felt close to his team members. He just wanted to make sure she was alright before he left the room.

"Jean, I as well am sure you are fine. But it never hurts to be completely certain. Where did the machine's lazer beam hit you?" Hank asked.

"On my left side." she told him.

He examined her side and there wasn't even any tears in her uniform. It was only singed a bit. "Hmmm, you definitely appear to be fine. I suppose you can head out of here as well." he said with a smile. "This wasn't too hard." he added to his statement.

Jean thanked him for taking a look at her even though she felt fine. She only felt a little dizzy from blacking out. Other than that she was fine.

Hank put away the medical kit and everyone left the infirmary. Jean and Scott figured they'd get something to eat. After all it's been a while since breakfast. And after that session it would be great to eat.

The others would more than likely be getting ready to eat in a while. Jean had to eat and then pretty much head off to her first class. So her and Scott didn't exactly get much time to themselves but they'd, hopefully, have time when she got back.

* * *

Logan hadn't gotten anything to eat just yet. All he wanted was a nice, hot cup of coffee. He figured he'd take some time to sit back and he'd wait to eat at lunch time. 

He entered the rec room with his coffee thinking he'd be alone but there was someone else in there. Luckily it was only Ororo. She was just stretched out on the sofa. Oddly it appeared she was sleeping.

_"Apparently those those two kids wore her out."_ he thought laughing to himself.

She really couldn't have a hard time only teaching two students, at least he wouldn't think so. But who knows. Kids will be kids. Considering Jamie was one of them maybe she actually had a full classroom (hahaha).

Anyway, Logan just made his way over to an armchair and seated himself. He tried not to make any noise for he didn't want to wake her.

_"She is so beautiful. And she looks so peaceful and happy."_ he thought as he stared at her sleeping form.

But even though he was so careful to be quiet shortly after he was seated Ororo's eyes opened. She looked right over to him and she appeared to be startled because she jumped up and sat in the middle of the sofa.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Logan asked.

"No, I was only resting. But perhaps I may have dozed off because I didn't realize someone had entered the room. You kind of scared me." she said taking a deep breath. She was glad that he had came into the room though.

They had talked before throughout the years, not a whole lot but just enough. Within those years she's been developing feelings for him. Strong, deep feelings that she can't shake. She has no idea how he'd feel about it so she's never mentioned that subject to him. She doesn't even know if he'd feel the same, so she keeps it quiet.

Little does she know that Logan does feel the same. He's had growing feelings for quite some time as well but he doesn't mention it either. For him it's too hard to show his emotions and share his feelings. But he knows he really cares about her, he just doesn't know how to tell her. Things like that aren't really his best qualifications and it's a major gray area for him.

He just looked at her as millions of thoughts raced through his mind. He wanted to tell her so badly. "Oh, I'm sorry." was all he could manage to get out.

"No problem. It's bound to happen when so many people live under one roof." she said. _"He's so handsome and so wonderful."_ she thought. And she wanted to spill her guts to him right there but she was too shy and afraid to.

"Should I leave you be? I could go somewhere else ... " he started but she jumped in.

"You can stay, Logan. I'd enjoy the company. It's nice to have someone mature to talk to after teaching. Even two students can be a handful." she stated. She loved having him around her.

"Tell me about it. At least it's not as bad as having all of them." Logan said looking up from his coffee.

"True, but it's still tiring sometimes. Especially when you have one child who can become one hundred children." Ororo said with a smile and she couldn't help but laugh.

He actually laughed at that statement. "Ain't that the truth." he said.

Until lunch the two sat there communicating very well. There were moments of silence but then either Logan or Ororo would break it with a question or comment. Still it was a wonderful moment and neither of them wanted it to come to an end.

* * *

It was the end of the school day so all of the other students had made their way home. This time Rogue decided it was best to walk home with Kitty and Kurt. She didn't want to have another incident like the day before. And after the day she had at school she'd probably go too far and kill anyone who got on her bad side. Kitty's and Kurt's day wasn't too bad but her's was horrible. She almost got into a major physical fight with some girl in the girl's bathroom. 

Rogue was in there minding her business and off to herself, as usual, when some girl just came up to her and got in her face. The girl was calling her rude and vulger names and Rogue began to snap. She had had enough. She pushed the girl out of her way, hoping to just walk away. She didn't want a fight. But it was obvious that the girl did because she kept on with the name-calling.

There were many choice words between the two. Finally the despute ended. Rogue pushed the girl out of her way again and took a run for it. She didn't want to fight or use her powers in fear that she'd get in big trouble. Her days at Bayville High were numbered and she wasn't messing up the chance to be out of there forever. But she was still very angry and fuming from the nasty things that were said. She felt so pissed off right now, and even a little hurt, as she quickly made her way down the hall. It dug deep when people would tease her.

When she entered the hall where her locker was she was still steaming from what had happened. Then other students just had to get on her case making matters even worse. They called her a "freak of nature" and a "skunk", anything terrible they could think of. Even though she tried her best to ignore them and shrug it off she still was fuming as she opened her locker and got things organized to go home. She felt like punching a wall or her locker, once she gathered her things and slammed it shut, anything to vent the anger.

Soon she met up with Kitty and Kurt and they could both tell she wasn't in the mood to talk or anything. They had also notice the group of students not too far behind her who were still taunting her. And then they began teasing all three of them when they recognized Kitty and Kurt. Kurt just grabbed Kitty's and Rogue's hands and teleported them out of the school. Luckily no one outside saw.

From there they all walked, in silence for a little while. Soon Rogue spoke up and explained what had happened. And they all talked the rest of the way. She was so glad to be home now. As were they.

* * *

At the mansion everyone, aside from Jean and Scott who had decided to go on a date, would soon be getting ready for dinner. The younger students were all outside running around and being, well, kids. Angel and Piotr had went out with them so there was some form of adult supervision out there. Hank was in Xavier's study and they were studying their formula a bit more. They like to test it soon. Ororo was making dinner and Logan was in the danger room doing a session alone. He loved to do that. Kitty and Kurt had went upstairs to his room do their homework together. Remy was somewhere in the mansion, probably waiting for Rogue. 

Rogue wanted to relax before doing homework. After the day she had some relaxation would be great. She headed to her's and Kitty's bedroom, entered the room, tossed her bookbag on the floor beside her bed and let herself fall onto the soft matress. She lay there across the bed with her arms folded behind her head. Her left leg remained straight down while her right leg was slightly bent. She closed her eyes and hoped to take a nap.

Not too long after Rogue's eyes had shut she felt the matress shift a bit. Her eyes popped open but before she noticed what the movement had come from a thick Cajun voice broke away at the silence.

"How was your day, Cherie?"

Rogue jumped and sat up, completely startled. "Damn it swamp rat! Do ya mind? I was tryin' to relax." she snapped. He had interrupted her moment of peace and quiet that she had be longing for all day.

"Je suis desole, mon amour." Remy said as he sat up beside her. "I jus' thought dat jus' maybe you wanted some company."

"One, don't call me "your love". Two, I just wanna be alone right now." she said. She truly loved the fact that he had called her "Mon amour" and that he wanted to be with her right now, but she was tired and still a bit edgy from her day. She then noticed the band-aid above his eye. "What happened to you, Cajun?" she asked.

"Oh, de danger room was not so nice to Remy." he said. Then a smirk came upon his face. "Does Rogue wanna kiss it an' make it all better?" he flirted with the smirk still planted on his face. He then gave her a wink.

"How many times do I have to tell ya no?" she asked him. She sounded angry and she was, but not really because of him. She hated not being able to touch, at all. Everything was coming at her today.

"I don't know, Chere. Maybe zillions more." he kept on flirting.

"Please, just go away." she said as she felt her emotions begin to creep up on her. All she really wanted to do was pull him to her and kiss him. Or at least hold onto him.

Even though she didn't actually show her sadness directly he could read it in the expression on her face. Unknowingly she had a look of hurt in her eyes. That was something he had never seen before with her.

Remy looked deeply into her eyes. "Is dere somet'in' botherin' you?" he asked. He tried not pry too much but he was kind of worried about her. Although he didn't really want to upset her any further.

"No, I just wanna be alone for now." she said and she looked away and closed her eyes.

"You don't have to lie to me. I know somet'in' isn't right wit' you." he stated.

"I'm not lyin' swamp rat." she told him. Of course she was lying but she couldn't tell him how she felt. She couldn't tell a player like him that she liked him ... a lot. He could never settle down with one woman, especially one that couldn't touch.

He gave her a look. "Fine, don't tell moi but I know you're not bein' honest." he said and unexpectedly he planted a kiss on the side of her forehead right over her white bangs.

She was shocked. _"Why did he do that?"_ she thought. _"Well, duh, it's Remy."_ she answered. _"Oh no, now I'm askin' and answerin' my own questions."_ She felt as if she were losing it.

Remy was about to get up and leave her to herself as she had wanted him to, but to his surprise she grabbed his arm.

"Don't leave yet." she said. He raised an eyebrow and wore a very confused expression on his face. "Okay, ya win. I wasn't bein' honest. I just had a terrible day at school. Kids were teasin' me and messin' with me all damn day. It's enough to drive even the sanest people to insanity. And ya know what went down yesterday after school. It's a bunch of bullsh-t. I just can't take it anymore." she explained but only telling half of the truth. The other half she wished she could say was, _"Remy, I like ya so much and I never wanna lose ya."_

He looked at her. "Is dat why you're in more of a bad mood den usual?" he asked. He obviously didn't think before he spoke and he mentally kicked himself. _"Danm you Remy! Why do you always say dumb sh-t like dat."_ he scolded himself mentally. He could never say what he really wanted to say either. And that was pretty much the same thing that Rogue wished she could say. He liked her more than he's liked any other woman. As odd as it is, but there's just something about her.

"Gambit, what the hell is ... " she started but she decided she didn't feel like arguing. She paused for a moment and then started to reanswer him. "Yeah I guess. Plus you're always makin' stupid remarks about me kissin' ya and all and ya know as well as me and everyone else that that's impossible. Unless ya wanna be in a coma or lyin' there dead." she told him, still fighting to hold back her emotions.

"I jus' can't resist though, especially wit' a belle like you." he said hoping she'd cheer up. But he realized he probably only made matters worse. _"Dere I go again." _he thought.

"Well just stop. I'll never be able to touch you or anyone else." she said and that's all she could say. She bit her bottom lip.

This was the point where she couldn't control her emotions any longer. She felt her heart sink as she said those words. And it was the cold, hard truth which made it so much worse.

Rogue turned around completely away from him as tears began to stream down her face. She refused to allow him to see her cry. He had a feeling she was though.

"Rogue ... Rogue?" he said, placing his hands on her shoulders gently. "Look at me, Cherie." she wouldn't turn around. He then, gently, moved her to face him but she still wouldn't look up. He could see her face though. He saw the tears streaming down her face. Her dark gothic make-up was beginning to run down her face along with the tears making black streaks on her pale skin. "Look at me." he repeated.

She still wouldn't so he just pulled her towards him and into his arms, it figured that would be easier. For a moment she wouldn't return his move, she was confused by it. But he held her so close and tight and she felt so safe and warm in his strong yet gentle arms. She felt as if she'd melt into him at any given time. Then finally she placed her arms around his waist and buried he face in his chest, which was covered by a tight, black, long-sleeved T-shirt. She wasn't bawling but she was still crying and her body quivered a little. He held ever tighter and closer, if that's even possible.

For a while they just sat there holding onto one another. Secretly, neither of them wanted the moment to end. They just held each other and cherished the moment, for there may not be another moment such as that between them. At least that's what they thought to themselves. But what do they know?

* * *

**New Translations**: 

_Je suis desole, mon amour:_ I'm sorry, my love

**Well that's it for this chapter:) I really hope it's all good cause it took me _sooo_ long to finish it:) I went over it so many times. Hopefully everything sounds okay and makes sense. I didn't think it would ever be done - LOL - but here it is:) Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys it:) Let me know what ya'all think;)**


	5. XTraordinary Changes

**Chapter Four**

Later that evening the mansion was beginning to quiet down as mostly everyone was either in their rooms or getting ready for bed. Everybody had had dinner and got done with whatever they needed to do. Jean and Scott had just returned from their date about an hour ago. They were only supposed to go out for dinner but he surprised her with a movie too.

Right now, like pretty much all of the others, they were heading off to their rooms. They really didn't want to make their night officially over yet so they decided to go to his room and hang out some more.

"I had a wonderful time." Jean said as they entered his room holding hands. He shut the door behind them.

"I'm glad you did. I did too, of course." Scott said to her as he moved to stand in front of her. He gazed down into her eyes. She stared back at him into his glasses.

"So now what?" she asked.

"I don't know, hmmm ... maybe we could fool around." he said to her with a wink. He tried to act flirty but he kind of looked more silly than anything. She giggled at his temp to flirt.

"What?" he asked feeling confused, of course he didn't see how funny he looked.

"Nothing. It's just that you need to learn much on how to flirt properly." she teased.

"Oh really? And who should teach me?" he questioned as he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against him tightly.

"Me. I'll be your teacher." she stated.

"You? Oh please." he joked with a grin on his face.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You have doubts?" she said in a sexy tone and she gave him a sultry look that nearly made his knees buckle. She also placed her arms around his neck, seductively, and moved her face closer to his. Just inches away.

They stared at one another for some time. Their bodies were so tightly pressed together that they appeared to be one. Soon their lips met in a deep passionate kiss. They moved over towards the bed and stumbled over it, not realizing how close they were to it. They fell with her on top of him. The two smiled and stared at each other briefly and then they were kissing again.

She was straddled over him as she began to unbutton his shirt. They stopped kissing for a moment and he sat forward a little as she slowly slid the shirt off. She tossed it on the floor and placed her hands on his chest, moving them down his bare skin, tracing around the nipples. Then she kissed him on the lips and slowly moved her lips down over his jaw, to his neck, to his chest and then his stomach. She then licked him from that point up to his chest. She stayed there for a little while kissing and licking.

As she did all of that he got chills but good ones. He was beginning to slip into a rhapsody. They are moving a bit further than they ever had before. But he was enjoying every moment of it. And surely she was as well.

Soon her lips were on his again and they kissed passionately. He reached behind her and placed his hands on the ends of her shirt and started to pull up. But he stopped. They quit kissing and he looked at her.

"Can I?" he asked. He didn't want to make her do anything she wasn't ready to do.

She smiled at him and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "Yes. Go ahead." she told him when she pulled away from the kiss.

For a little bit they gazed into each other's eyes. As they did so he slipped the shirt up and over her head. Their gaze was only broken for a short time. Once her shirt was off their eyes met again, as well as they could. He tossed her shirt with his on the floor.

Now she only had a bra on her top half. She sat straight up, still straddling him, and reached behind herself. For a second he was wondering what she was doing but then he realized that she was unhooking her bra. In no time it was on the floor with their shirts.

Scott had never seen her topless. He's seen her in a bikini and he had touched her breasts through the clothes. All he could do was stare.

Jean let out a small laugh. "You look as if you've never seen boobs before." she joked.

"Well, to be honest, I never have seen them ... in person. And I definitely haven't seen yours before .. like this." he said and he lifted his hands towards them but stopped.

She smiled at him and gave him a look. "Don't be so nervous. I'll let you know if I don't want you to do something."

He smiled back at her and then he cupped both hands over her breasts, one for each. He loved how soft they were. And of course she loved how it felt having his hands on her like that. She leaned into his hands, slightly arching her back.

Not too much longer the two were making out again, half naked. And now he turned them over so that he was on top of her. She bent her knees and allowed him to lay in between her legs.

As they made out their hands wondered all over one another. Then he began to explore her body some. He moved his lips from her mouth and down to her neck and then to her breasts. While there he stopped to lick, suck and gently nibble. She softly moaned as he did that. It sent sensual chills all over her body. She arched her back up towards him and her fingers went into his hair, raking through it.

In a few minutes he continued to move further down until he reached the top of her skirt, just a few inches below her navel. He then stopped and looked up at Jean who seemed to be lost in the moment. She opened her eyes and looked down at him. He slowly kissed his way back up to her and then he placed his lips over hers again. He began to slide his right hand down her body, from her breasts to her hip, and there he rested it.

While they kissed he removed her skirt. She didn't seem to care because she didn't try to stop him at all. In fact, she actually helped him some. And then it was thrown on the floor with the other clothes. He placed his right hand back on her hip, playing with the line of her panties, and his left hand rested on the bed right beside her head. He began to stroke the side of her head, in sort of a petting motion over her hair. Then they began kissing again.

After they kissed a bit they broke away and he slipped his hand down a little further and slid it along her outer thigh and to her inner thigh, sending more chills over her body. He then moved it up some and stopped in between her thighs. She let out a small gasp as he did so and then he began to stroke her through her panties. She closed her eyes and moaned. He just watched her facial expressions.

With how heated their make out session was getting it was obvious that Scott was getting aroused. Jean could feel it against her. Of course she coudn't deny that she was just as turned on.

He gazed into her eyes and she smiled at him. She placed her hands around his neck and pulled him up so that his face was inches from hers. Then she kissed him. But not a long kiss this time. When they moved away a thoughtful expression washed over her face.

Scott could tell she was debating something mentally. But with their connection it wasn't too hard to figure out what it was. And not to mention, what they had been doing kind of was a giveaway too.

"What?" he decided to ask.

"Nothing. Um, I just don't think I'm ready to go all the way." she confessed.

"Me neither. Especially if you're not." he said smiling. "We don't have to have sex." he added. He didn't ever want to make her feel like she had to do anything she didn't want to do.

"Good. But we are getting further than we ever had." she stated.

"Yes, very true. If you want we can stop." he suggested and he raised his hands and cupped them over her cheeks.

"We don't have to completely stop. We are both quite aroused." she said with a grin.

"Yeah but ... " he started but she cut in.

" ... we can help each other in more than one way." she said.

He thought for a short moment and a light went off in his head. "Oh. You mean we can manually and/or orally pleasure each other?" he said.

"Of course. It will be odd, given we've never done it to each other. Or anyone else. But there's a first for everything, obviously. And I know I can go that far. So what do you say?" she said. Another grin escaped her lips.

"If you're up for then so am I." he said to her. Then he kissed her.

Jean just gave Scott a look and he knew they were both ready for this step. They've been together for quite some time now. So it's not too soon.

He decided to be a gentleman and he pleasure her first. He removed her panties and tossed them to the floor. Then he gently rubbed her sensitive area until she nearly met her peak, then he stopped. She was a bit confused but before she could say anything he replaced his finger with his tongue. She gasped and as he slid his tongue inside her she let out a loud moan. Hopefully no one had heard her. But they were in a state where they could care less.

Within a short period of time he had brought her to her climax. She pretty much screamed, even though Logan's room wasn't too far away. He had probably already heard enough anyway, considering he has super-human hearing. And neither her or Scott cared if he did or didn't.

Soon Scott moved up towards her face and looked into her eyes. She had a big smile on her face. She kissed him and then she told him to lay down on his back. She then undid his pants and pulled them off. Now he was only in his boxers, but not for long. She removed them too. So they are both buck naked.

Just in moments she was using both her hands and mouth to pleasure him. She used her right hand in unison with her mouth as she slowly bobbed up and down on his erection. He moaned softly and placed his hands in her long, red hair. She began to pick up the pace after she got used to the motion and it didn't take too long for him to reach his climax. He wasn't even able to warn her, incase she didn't want him to release in her mouth. But if she hadn't she would have told him beforehand. He let out one last moan and it was all done.

Jean pulled away and then moved up to face him. "That wasn't too bad so don't worry." she said as she picked up on his loud thoughts. He was wondering what she thought about him releasing in her mouth. She planted a kiss on his lips and then moved back to look at him.

"You mean it didn't gross you out?" he asked.

"No..." she stated but before she could finish her complete statement he cut in.

"But Jean, you swallowed, right?" he said. He just figured that most girls wouldn't swallow it. Most he knew of would spit it out. He knew his ex-so-called-girlfriend, Taryn wouldn't have allowed that to enter her mouth.

"Well honey, it was too quick to pull away. Besides, it wasn't that bad. It really didn't bother me. If so you would have known, believe me." she said then she smiled and planted another kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too. And there's definitely no complaints on how you taste." he said and with a grin upon his face he winked at her.

They both smiled and shared another kiss. It wasn't too long before they ended up falling asleep in each other's arms. They were so happy and this was the first night that they actually spent together.

* * *

It was now the following morning. Everything at the mansion was the same old same old. Younger students everywhere, talking and yelling, pretty much driving the older students and staff completely nuts. But of course at the Xavier Institute this is quite normal. 

Breakfast was already over so everyone was moreless running around getting themselves completely put together. Professor X and Hank had spoken to Rogue before breakfast and told her to come to the study immediately after arriving home from school. But before they left her leave Hank had asked her if he could extract a small amount of blood from her. She finally allowed him to. She had no idea why he needed it. They just said they wanted to test it. She found it odd but she didn't argue with them. One, she didn't want to argue with them and two, it was too early.

Jean and Scott were very pleased that no one said anything about hearing noises in Scott's room. Although, Logan had glanced at them and gave them funny looks when they entered the kitchen. So apparently he had heard. They didn't care for they weren't kids anymore and they're very well capable of making their own decisions. And it wasn't like they did everything anyway. Even if they had it's their business, not anyone elses.

At this moment Jean had kissed Scott goodbye and told her friends goodbye. She had a fairly early class and then she was free the rest of the day. She was happy of that.

After Jean left, Scott went off to see if Ororo needed any help with X23 and Jamie before she began to teach. He knew that even two kids could be a handful. Especially ones with mutant abilities.

Logan was finishing his coffee while reading the newspaper. The students whom attended Bayville High had almost all left. Rogue had said her goodbyes to Kitty and Kurt as they headed off together.

Rogue was waiting on Remy, he had volunteered to take her to school and pick her up afterwards. All she could think about was what the Professor and Hank want her for after school and why they needed a sample of her blood. It totally puzzled her. But then she glanced over at a clock and her mind drifted off elsewhere.

_"I'm never gonna get to ride my own bike."_ she thought. _"But ridin' with Remy isn't too bad, not by far."_ she added to her thoughts.

Soon enough Remy came striding into the foyer with his trademark smirk planted on his face. "You ready mon cherie?"

Rogue rolled her eyes at his question. "Do ya think I'd be standin' here waitin' for ya if I wasn't? And I ain't your cherie." she stated.

"My bad, I jus' thought dat maybe you'd wanna be." he said, the smirk never leaving his face.

"In your dreams Swamp Rat." she stated as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Mmmm ... oui, but dere's more den jus' dat in my dreams. I have my chere in many ways, if you catch my drift." he said then he winked at her and stepped closer so that their bodies were merely inches apart.

Once again she rolled her eyes. But before she could speak Remy grabbed her left gloved hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed it. She secretly was loving it and felt as if her knees would give and she'd just fall. But his gutter mind quickly pulled her out of those thoughts.

"An' why don't we make dem dreams become reality Chere?" was what he said after he kissed her hand.

She pulled her hand away. "You an' me both know that'll never happen. Will ya jus' give it a rest? Besides, are ya still takin' me to school or what?" she snapped. Mainly because she figures she'd never be able to even slightly touch someone and the fact that he never quits sometimes totally ticks her off.

Remy made sort of a sad face. "You hurt moi. But fine, I'll stop ... for now." he said. "Oui, I'm still takin' you to school."

With that all said they exited the mansion. In a few minutes they were on his bike and headed to the high school. Whether she admitted it to anyone or not she truly enjoyed being that close to him.

* * *

Meanwhile at the institute Scott had found Ororo and they were heading towards the classroom she'd be teaching in. X23 and Jamie had been in the room shortly before them and it appeared they were having a good time. Jamie filled up all of the extra seats. He was laughing and X23, for the first time, seemed to be happy and she was even smiling and laughing. 

When Ororo and Scott entered the room that's what they saw. And they also saw X23 playfully punch Jamie on the arm. Apparently she was keeping her powers in mind when she did it because if she had hit him too hard she could have hurt him.

"Okay children. Please settle down." Ororo said as she made her way to the front of the classroom, Scott tagging behind her. "The sooner you obey the sooner this'll be over." she added since they hadn't completely calmed down.

As soon as she said that X23 and Jamie turned their attention to her. All of the Jamie's slowly went back into one. But he and X23 still had smirks on their faces, especially when they realized that Scott was there too.

"As you can see, Scott has volunteered to give me hand today. And as he can see, sometimes even two students can be a handful." she said making a joke.

The two laughed and Scott wore a nervous grin. He remembered the time that Jean and he were teaching the younger students and he was hoping that this would run much smoother. But he was partially wrong.

Ororo turned around and faced the board, she had a few papers in her hand. She turned to Scott and asked him if he would help her copy what was highlited on the papers onto the board. He agreed, after all he was there to help her. He took a paper she handed him and began to copy it like she had said.

While Ororo and Scott were busy up front X23 and Jamie were whispering softly to one another. They were up to something. What else is new?

"So Jamie, you wanna see if we can make Scott mad?" X23 asked.

"I don't know, he can really get angry." Jamie protested at first but then he thought about it. "Hmmm, but he sure is funny when he's mad." then he laughed quitely so that only he and X23 could here it. She laughed quietly too.

They glanced up front and then back to each other. X23 carefully ripped peaces of paper out of a page in the back of her notebook. Jamie then did the same to his own. Once the pieces were loose they rolled them up into small paper balls. X23 laid one piece on her desk and flung it towards Scott and it hit him on the back of the neck. He turned around and Jamie and X23 pretended they were talking to each other. Scott scowled at them then turned back to the board. The two students quietly snickered.

In a couple moments Jamie did the same thing but his aim was off and it hit a cup filled with pencils and pens. Then it bounced off and up. As Ororo finished writing and turned around it hit her right on the forehead. She didn't look too happy. Soon Scott finished what he was copying.

"Which one of you did that?" Ororo demanded. She wasn't normally one to get angry but she didn't like it when children didn't take their education seriously. Neither of them said a word. "Come on, speak up. I know that paper didn't just roll itself up and throw itself up here." she said.

Scott cut in. "A bit ago I got hit in the back of the neck." he said and he narrowed his eyes at them again.

"X23, Jamie, come on. Look, I'm not going to punish you. I just want to know. And I don't want it to happen again. This is just a warning. You are here to learn. You'll have mostly all day to have fun." she stated.

Jamie and X23 glanced from the front of the room to each other as if they were silently communicating.

Finally X23 spoke up. "Sorry, it was my idea. Jamie just went along with it. But we didn't mean for it to hit you." she confessed then she bit her bottom lip.

"Yeah, mine was the one that hit you. It was meant to hit Scott." he too confessed.

"Why did you two want to pick on me?" Scott asked feeling slightly annoyed.

"Well you're so easily irritated." Jamie said.

"Yeah, I haven't even known you as long but it was easy to catch onto how uptight you can be." X23 said.

Ororo couldn't help but let out a short laugh. "You know Scott, they are right." she said.

Scott made a face and then he actually grinned. "Yeah, I guess so. Well let's just forget about this incident and move on." he said raising his eyebrows.

He really did know they were right. He was always pretty uptight. He just didn't know how not to be, no matter how hard he tried.

Soon Ororo and Scott were working with the two students. They all decided to put that little act of misbehavior behind them, as long as it didn't occur again. It was all agreed on.

* * *

It's now afternoon, around 12:30. Jean had already returned home hours prior to now. Her and Scott went out for lunch and they're still not back yet. They needed some time away from everyone for a few hours or so. 

Jamie and X23 are outside just being kids and Hank is their supervisor. He and Xavier had just finished working on a sample formula for Rogue. The sample will only last 24 hours. But if it definitely works, without side effects, then they are going to try to make a formula that will last longer. Perhaps a week and hopefully as long as one month. That will make it a lot easier since it'll be given in the form of a shot.

Ororo and Logan were in the kitchen talking. They've been talking a lot more. Logan still finds it odd but he feels she's someone he can talk to about nearly anything. No matter what he has to say he knows she'll hear him out because that's just how she is.

"I'm so glad that Beast decided to babysit 'coz I'm not really up for it." Logan said then he took a sip of coffee. _"I could really go for a nice, cold beer right about now."_ he thought.

"Oh, and why is that?" Ororo asked.

"Well, those two are a total handful. It seems now Jamie has a new friend, which is good, but they tend to get into trouble ... a lot. She's about as crazy as me. Maybe even more so." he explained.

"Tell me about it. They weren't on their best behavior in class today. They thought it would be funny to throw small pieces of balled up paper at Scott. One of them hit me by mistake." she told him. But she couldn't help but grin about the whole thing. It was funny.

"Gee, I wonder why? I mean he is too uptight." Logan stated sarcastically and sort of laughed.

Ororo laughed at his comment. "Yes, he could loosen up sometimes." she stated.

The two eventually took seats across from each other and carried on with their conversation. From one subject to another, it seemed to be a nonending conversation.

An hour and a half had already passed and soon the students would all be rushing through the mansion doors. So upon looking at the time Ororo and Logan decided to end their conversation for that moment. They had talked longer than ever.

Logan was deep in thought and before they parted he wanted to ask her something, although he was tossing the question around in his mind. He finally came to a conclusion. He figured he had better ask it and get it off of his mind and out of the way. He had to see what her answer would be.

As she got up to leave he stood up and began to speak. "So ... uh ... would you like to go out some time? Ya know, just to get some coffee or something? It's not a date or anything." he stammered a bit. This really wasn't his territory.

She was flattered by his question, and puzzled, for she didn't think he'd ever ask her out. Even if it's only for coffee, it's better than nothing.

"Sure. When would you like to go?" she said and she felt a little flushed. She really hoped she wasn't blushing.

"Well, perhaps today sometime." he said feeling very happy that she'd agreed to it. But he kept his feelings to himself.

"Okay." she said. All that mattered was that they'd be going out together, alone, and they'd be able to talk without many interruptions.

"Alright, but this sure seems like a date." he said jokingly and half grinning.

"Yes, I suppose it could be." she said smiling at him.

They had decided to go out later sometime after dinner. Both of them felt oddly about the whole thing but it was no big deal. They were just going to have coffee together afterall.

* * *

At Bayville High, surprisingly, Rogue wasn't having too bad of a day. She moreless ignored any morons who thought it was cool to tease her. No one, yet, had got in her way too much so she was actually kind of happy. She couldn't stop thinking about what the Professor wanted to see her for after school. 

Now as she exited the school building with Kitty and Kurt she glanced around for a certain cajun. She didn't see him anywhere. She saw their other friends, such as Samual, Amara, Tabitha, Ray, Jubilee, Bobby, Roberto, Rahne and Alex ... but no Remy.

_"Maybe he couldn't meet me."_ she thought.

"Rogue, are you walking home with us?" Kitty asked.

"I don't know. I thought that Swamp Rat would be here." Rogue answered. She was really wanting to get home.

"Well, we could hang with you." Kurt suggested.

"Okay." Rogue agreed.

"I just hope he doesn't take too long because I have like so much homework." Kitty stated as she glanced around the school grounds.

They waited a little while and he still didn't show. Rogue was getting inpatient and irritated. She hated waiting. Especially when she was exited about something.

She could tell Kitty wasn't too happy either. Rogue knows how she likes to get her homework done as soon as possible. And Rogue knew that Kurt had homework as well because they have a couple classes together.

"Uh, if ya'all wanna head home go ahead. I'm just gonna wait a bit longer." Rogue said. She was really hoping that Remy was coming to pick her up. She didn't feel like walking today.

Kitty and Kurt finally agreed to leave. Rogue knew she probably should have just went with them but she was just hoping that maybe Remy would soon arrive.

About ten minutes after Kitty and Kurt had left her Remy appeared. But Rogue couldn't see him, he was coming up from behind her with a huge smirk upon his face.

Within a few more seconds he was directly behind Rogue with his trademark smirk still swept over his face. Soon Remy reached out slowly and grabbed Rogue's waist.

Rogue squealed out in surprise, and fear. Then she quickly rammed her elbow, hard, right into is stomach. When he groaned she spun around and stood face to face with him. He was slightly bent over, so they were at eye level, holding his stomach.

"Ya dirty, rotten Swamp Rat! Ya scared the sh-t outta me. I thought someone was attacking me." she said feeling irritated and embaressed at the same time. Then she playfully shoved him with both hands.

"Sorry Cherie, but Remy couldn't help it. Man, you really know how to use defense mechanisms." he said smirking and still holding his stomach.

Rogue pushed him again. "Awww, did I hurt ya Cajun?" she asked.

"Only my pride." Remy said with a grin.

"Oh really? So that's why ya groaned and held your stomach." she said back to him.

"Well, maybe you hurt Remy a little." he teased.

"That's nothin' compared to what you're gonna get later." she joked.

"Ooh, mon cherie ... what'cha gonna do to moi." he asked flirtatiously.

"Oh, you just wait. Ya won't know when or where but just wait." she said and a devilish grin formed upon her face.

All Remy did was grin back. He was looking forward to whatever she had planned, as long as it wasn't another elbow to the stomach.

Rogue and Remy began to walk. Remy had parked his bike a block away so Rogue wouldn't see it. And he had hid until Kitty and Kurt left because he was afraid that if they were still with Rogue that they'd give him away. He wanted to sneak up on her.

Soon they were at his bike. He hopped on and put on his helmet. He handed her his spare. She put it on and got on behind him. Once she was seated properly she reached her arms around his waist and held on.

He started out slown but then he quickly sped up. That caused her to hold on tightly and press her body close to his. He grinned. That's exactly why he had sped up. He loved doing that to her.

In no time they were out of sight. And it wouldn't be long till they were home.

* * *

Everyone had arrived at the mansion. Kitty and Kurt were there before Rogue and Remy. But not too much sooner since Rogue and Remy were on a motorcycle. 

As soon as Kitty and Kurt came in they headed upstairs, like usual, to do their homework together. Most of the younger students were in the rec room. All but Jamie and X23. They were somewhere in the mansion, more than likely getting into mischief.

Jubilee, Rahne, Tabitha and Amara were sitting in a circle on the floor doing their homework. A few of the boys were being noisy. But Roberto and Alex were actually sitting on a couch doing their work. Alex knew he didn't want to get into trouble with Scott. Nor Logan.

Jean came in the room. She saw the girls and the two boys doing their work and smiled. But the boys' actions turned her smile to a frown.

"Hey. Ray, Bobby, Samual, did you already do your homework?" she asked them. _"Of course they didn't"_ she thought.

Bobby glanced over at her. "Oh, sorry mommy. I'll get right on it." he said being silly. The other two laughed.

"I'm being serious guys. Homework is very important. It is half of your grade. I didn't like it either but it should be your first priority when you get home." Jean said to them.

"I know, I know." Bobby said.

"Yeah, we were going to get to that." Ray said trying to look innocent.

"Yeah Jean." Sam added with the same attitude as Ray.

"Okay." Jean said.

She didn't really believe that they were before she had mentioned it but she felt they were sincere now. At least she was really hoping. She definitely knows how much of a pain homework is. But she also knows how very important it is. And she's still not free of it. It's actually worse and much harder.

Jean headed out to the kitchen. Her and Scott volunteered to help Ororo with dinner. Jean helps her a lot. But Scott decided he'd pitch in for a change. It was nearly 4:00 so they'd soon be getting prepared.

When Jean entered the kitchen Ororo and Scott were already there. Ororo smiled at Jean and they said hello. Ororo then walked away from them for a bit. She was going to get some things together.

"What's up?" Scott asked casually, with a smile. And he kissed Jean on the lips and hugged her.

"Nothing. I just had to talk a bit with a few of the boys. They were running around acting like idiots. And they have homework." Jean said returning his kiss and hug, of course.

Although, now that that moment was over she couldn't help but laugh about the whole thing.

"Why doesn't that surprise me? Those kids are nuts. I hope Alex wasn't one of them." he said suspiciously.

"Nope, he was good. So was Roberto and the girls. It was Ray, Sam and Bobby who were the problem." she stated.

"Go figure." he said. "Those boys are always getting into trouble."

Ororo now came back. "Don't feel bad Jean, Scott and I had a bit of a rough start this morning with X23 and Jamie."

"Yeah, Scott had told me about it earlier. That's kind of funny." Jean said smiling.

"I suppose so but it wasn't at the time." Scott told her.

The three of them talked for a while. Soon they were working on making dinner. It wouldn't be a whole lot longer.

While that was taking place Remy had went to the danger room, along with Angel and Piotr. Logan thought they should have a little training session before dinner. They're new so he wants to put them in for extra training. But he's happy to find out that they do quite well.

Rogue had went to see what Xavier wanted. When she entered his study he was seated behind his desk and Hank was standing beside it. They both greated Rogue happily. Xavier motioned for her to take a seat in front of his desk. He wanted to explain to her about the formula he and Hank had created for her.

After he told her how it was to work she appeared to be speachless for a while. He stated that what he was giving her today was merely a sample and it would only last one day. He explained that it would be a way, probably the only way, she could be able to control her powers until she can manage to do so herself. If that's even possible. And if it did work as well as Hank and he thought than there would be more made.

"So, I'll be able to touch but still use my powers?" Rogue finally spilled out a question.

"Yes. You'll be able to do what mostly all of us do, concentrate to use them." Xavier answered.

"And what if I can never learn to control them on my own?" she asked.

"Then we'll keep on making you this formula." Hank said smiling.

"Really?" she was extremely happy.

"Yes, really." the Professor said smiling back.

In a moment Hank came over to Rogue. "As the Professor said, it has to be given to you by means of a shot but we hope to make it where it will last a month." he explained.

Hank got out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball. As he got prepared Rogue pulled up her sleeve above the elbow. He then put some alcohol on the ball and wiped it over her inner elbow. Soon he had the syringe ready and he injected the liquid into her vein.

"You may experience a little tinging or even stinging at first. But that will fade. The within five minutes the formula shood start working." He told her.

After five minutes they wanted to see if it did indeed work. So Xavier asked Rogue to stand up and come closer to his desk. He held out his hand for her. She removed her right glove and began moving her hand towards his but she hesitated some.

"It's okay. Go ahead Rogue. We'll never know until you try." Professor X encouraged her.

She slowly moved her hand towards his and finally touched it. Nothing happened. All she felt was his hand. She felt skin and warmth. Not the power and energy draining feeling she normally felt. A huge smile spread over her face.

"Great. Now focus on your powers and touch my hand again." Xavier instruscted her.

She did so. This time she felt her powers start to pull his powers and energy. Quickly she moved her hand away. Another big smile washed over her face.

Hank and the Professor both smiled too. They were very happy for her.

"Oh my God! I can't believe this! Tell me I'm not dreamin'." she exclaimed.

"This is no dream. It's really happening." the Professor assured her with a smile.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you both." she exclaimed once more.

Then she raced around the desk to Professor X, gave him a kiss on the cheek and threw her arms around him. He returned her embrace.

"You're welcome." he said still smiling.

Rogue then ran over to Hank. She kissed him on the cheek and threw her arms around him too. He also returned her embrace.

"Yes, you're welcome. It was our pleasure." he said happily.

"I am going to announce this right before dinner in the rec room to everyone. So try not to give it away just yet. I know you're extremely exited to share this news right away, so are we, but try to wait just a little." the Professor stated. He had planned on telling everyone all at once.

"Okay, I'll try my hardest." she said still smiling.

Neither Xavier nor Hank had ever seen Rogue this happy. They were very pleased that their time and hard work on that formula really paid off. Now they'll have to try to make it longer lasting. But at this time all is well.

After reshowing her gratefulness to the Professor and Hank Rogue had left the study. She headed for the rec room so she'd already be there. But she tried her hardest to not give anything away. She tried not to smile and it was actually hard for her not to right at the moment.

Right now Rogue was in the rec room. The only ones in there now were Bobby, Samual and Ray. They were finishing up on their homework. Rogue decided that she'd get some of hers done before the meeting that the Professor wanted to have before dinner. She still had a little time.

"Hey, what's up?" Bobby asked her as he closed his text book and stood up.

"Nothing. Just getting ready to do my homework." she answered, trying to act casual.

"Down here? Usually you go and hide in your room to do that." he said giving her an odd look.

"Well, dinner'll be ready in a bit and I thought it would easier just to stay downstairs." she said back trying to sound a bit annoyed that he was bugging her.

"Makes sense." he said not thinking anything of it. "See you in a bit." he added then headed towards the exit.

"Yep. See ya." she called to him.

Samual and Ray had finished their work and said hi to Rogue. Then they left the room to find where Bobby had went. Those three are usually always together and actinging crazy.

Time had passesd by and Professor X had telepathically summoned everyone to the rec room as he said he'd do. Within minutes the entire mansion was gathered. The Professor and Hank announced the formula that they had been working on for so long and then the Professor told them all about Rogue being able to touch now. Finally she could smile again. Everyone was thrilled to hear the news and to see her so happy. But there was silence for a short while.

"So how does it feel being able to touch?" Jean asked breaking the silence.

"Oh my God! I love it already. Just knowin' I'll be able to hug or kiss someone or even shake or hold their hand without the worries of hurtin' them is amazin'. Honestly I never believed this could ever be. I had dreampt about it numerous times but it was never somethin' I thought would truly happen." Rogue exclaimed. The smile had returned to her face. She seemed to be glowing.

"We are all very happy for you, honey." Ororo said smiling.

"Yeah, this is so awesome!" Kitty exclaimed. She could see the total change in her best friend. And she couldn't help but run over to her and throw her arms around her.

Rogue returned Kitty's embrace immediately. The two hugged for a few seconds then pulled away.

Kurt then headed over to his sister, but he teleported instead of running. "Sis, I hope this doesn't mean you're going to do what lots of sisters do to there brothers." he said and then he hugged her.

"And what's that?" Rogue asked hugging him back.

"Kiss them on the cheek to gross them out." he said back and everyone laughed. Her expression changed a little. He looked into her eyes. "But I don't mind. It's fine because this is all new to you." he said upon seeing the change in her expression. "Just don't do it at school." he added jokingly.

They all laughed again, even Rogue. She then ruffled his hair and just for the fun of it planted a big kiss on his cheek. Everyone, including her, laughed again. She was just so happy she couldn't help but laugh. Her face actually hurt from all of the smiling and laughing. She had never in her life laughed, or even smiled, that much.

Almost everyone had congratulated her. Remy hadn't. He didn't know what to say. His cherie was now able to touch and he was afraid to talk, let alone think. He was worried something extremely dirty would slip out.

Logan hadn't said a word either. He just stood in the back of the room eyeing up Remy from time to time, waiting for him to say something stupid. But of course Logan too was happy. He knew that no one should have to go through life without being able to hug, kiss or give a simple handshake. He just worried about her too much. Especially with Remy being around. He's afraid he'll hurt her since he's known for stealing hearts and breaking them. In the same night most of the time.

Logan finally spoke up. "Just don't get carried away stripes. And I'm sure ya know what I mean."

"Don't worry I won't." she said to him. She gave him hug and kissed him on the cheek. She did know what he meant.

"You should know I'm not like that." she said to only him.

He nodded. "Yeah, but ... " he began but she cut him off.

"Don't worry. I'm not stupid. I know what's right and wrong." she said to him.

He seemed to be pleased with her final statement. She hugged him again and then he left. She looked for Remy but apparently he had snuck out because she didn't see him. She thougth that he'd definitely want to speak to her.

Soon the meeting was over and everyone left and headed to the kitchen. Dinner was all ready. They all ate and talked more about Rogue being able to touch and how awesome it was.

After dinner everyone gradually drifted off on their own. Rogue left the room to search for Remy. It seemed like he disappeared again. Right after he finished eating he left the kitchen. She really wanted to find him but she had the slightest idea to where he had went. She looked all over the mansion but couldn't find.

_"Damn it ya lousy swamp rat. The most exciting moment of my life, so far, and where are ya?"_ she thought.

Rogue decided after going upstairs and still not finding Remy that she was tired of searching for him. But she was just plan out tired. Although tired wasn't exactly the word, it was more like exhausted. She headed down the hall towards Kitty's and her room to lie down.

She knew that Kitty and her brother had went out together to hang out. They do that often. So the room would be empty. She kind of wanted to see Kitty and talk to her but that was okay because right now she really wanted to take a nice little nap.

"What a day." she said to herself as she entered the room and tossed her bookbad right on the floor around the corner.

She started to head to her bed when two arms snaked around her waist and grabbed her. She had no time to react for she was now pressed tightly against someone and their arms were holding her snuggly. All she could do was scream, and she did.

One of the arms moved and a hand quickly covered her mouth. She was about to stomp on the person's foot but he lowered his head so that his mouth was right by her ear. As he did that he moved his hand from her mouth and traced his thumb over her lips. Then his hand moved down and joined with the other.

"Bonjour mon cherie." he whispered in a deep, sultry tone. Just his voice sent chills up and down her spine.

"Remy!" Rogue screamed.

But her joy returned. She was extremely exited to see him but at the same time annoyed by the way he confronted her. Now she could really pay him back for what he had done to her after school - and what he had just did. At least she hoped so.

"Who else?" Remy said, still whispering into her ear. Then he pulled his arms away allowing her to turn around and face him.

"Remy." she repeated but soft and sultry.

He looked at her suspiciously, cocking an eyebrow. "Oui." he said still confused by her flirting. Something he hasn't seen her do before.

"Where were ya sugar?" she asked flirtatously, still grinning.

"Uh, I stepped outside for a bit. I had to get some fresh air." he said staring at her in shock by her words and flirtatiousness.

"Oh. I was lookin' all over for ya." she said still flirting.

"Sorry chere." was all he could get out.

Rogue said nothing back. She moved her body close to his so that they were pressed together and she threw here arms around his neck, embracing him. Then she was about to kiss him on the cheek but he moved his head so that her lips met with his.

Millions of thoughts ran through her head. She wanted to pull away but she couldn't. His lips on hers felt so good. But in a bit he pulled back and looked at her, a huge smirk on his face. Then he winked at her, bowed and left her room leaving her confused.

So many thoughts were still racing through her mind. She headed to her bed and allowed herself to just fall on it.

She laid there with her eyes closed and thought about the day and everything that had happened. She smiled at it, a closed mouth smile. Then she thought about Remy kissing her and couldn't help but smile even more.

_"I think I'm in love with ya, Remy Lebeau. If only I could tell ya."_ she thought.

Secretly Remy hung outside her door. He peaked around the corner and saw her eyes shut and a big smile upon her face. He smiled and walked away.

_"Cherie, I just wish I could tell you dat I'm fallin' you. Mon amour."_ he thought.

* * *

Ororo and Logan had met up and were heading to the garage. He wanted to take his bike but he didn't think she'd be wanting that kind of transportation. So he decided he'll find out what she wanted to do. 

"Let's see, should we go by car?" Logan asked.

Ororo glanced at him for a few seconds. "It doesn't matter. But I know you're a motorcycle kind of man." she said.

"So you wanna take my bike?" he asked her sounding shocked and a little confused.

"Sure. It's I wouldn't mind trying out." she told him with a smile.

Ororo never pictured herself on the back of a bike but if he was the person in front she could handle it. She'd have a perfectly good reason to press herself close to him. Really close.

"Are ya positive? I mean, you don't really seem to be the motorcycle type." he stated.

"Yes, I'm sure. Well ... I just thought it would be interesting. There's a first for everything, right?" she said to him with a smile.

He gave her a strange look. "I guess so. Okay then, if we're going by bike then we need to get set up." he said.

Logan picked up two helmets and handed one to her. They both put them on. He grinned at her.

"What?" she asked in puzzlement. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, everything is right. It's just ya look a little funny with that on your head." he teased.

Ororo laughed. "I'm sure I do." she said.

She looked into a window of one of the vehicles to see her reflection she and smiled. She did in fact look quite strange wearing a motorbike helmet.

Shortly Logan had gotten onto the bike and Ororo hopped on behind him. Then the garage doors opened and they were out of there. Logan rode towards the mansion's gate, it opened, they went through and it closed behind them. Now they were off.

He wasn't sure what place she'd like to go. They were only going out for coffee but he didn't want to go somewhere she wouldn't like. He asked her and she said it really didn't matter. So he decided to go to a small cafe that he enjoys to go to in downtown New York City. He loves that place because it's quite comfy. Plus there's not a whole lot of people there at one time.

In about 20 minutes they had arrived to their destination. He parked his bike and they got off. He climbed down first and helped her off.

They were both thinking the same thought. That was that "so far this evening sure feels like a date". Maybe secretly it was.

"You know, I have seen this little cafe before. And I have have even been to it." she said reminiscing about it.

"Really? It is quite nice, huh?" he said back.

"Yes, it's very peaceful." she told him.

He agreed with her completely.

As they walked towards the cafe Logan placed his arm around Ororo's waist. It was kind of subconsciously. She looked over at him but didn't say a word. She was afraid that if she had said something that he'd move his arm and she loved how it felt.

He opened the door and they walked in, his arm still around her. They walked side by side up to the counter to place their order. And of course it was only coffee.

They headed back to find a seat. They had found a nice two-seater beside the window. He motioned for her to sit down first so she did. Then he went and took the seat across from her.

The two talked until their coffee was brought over to them. And then they talked some more. Neither of them truly wanted the night to end.

"I was thinkin', it's too bad tomorrow's a school day." Logan said.

"Why, what's on your mind?" Ororo asked.

"Well I was thinkin' that we wouldn't have to go directly home after this. I've been wanting a good, cold beer for a long time. Just one would do me fine." he told her.

She smiled. "Logan, we're two mature adults I'm we'd be able to stay out a little late." she said with a smile.

"Then after here would ya like to go to a club and just have one drink?" he asked her.

"Sure, although I'm not a big drinker." she told him.

"Oh that's okay. If you just want a soda that's fine with me." he said. He just knew he needed a beer.

"Good." she said back.

Soon they had finished their coffee and it was time to pay the bill. Ororo was about to put in her own share when Logan reached over and placed his hand over hers.

"It's on me." he told her.

"You don't have to. I have plenty to cover this. It's only coffee." she protested. She's used to being independent.

"It's not a problem. Besides, I'm supposed to be the gentleman." he insisted with a smile.

She finally gave in to him.

They left the cafe and got back onto the bike. In moments they were heading to a club, one he usually went to. And in about 10 minutes they were there.

They got off of the motorcycle in the same manner as before. And this time instead of placing his arm around her he hooked his arm with hers. he wanted to keep her close. It kind of surprised her but she loved it.

He could tell she was a tad bit nervous about being at the club. "You okay?" he questioned her.

"Yes. Just a little nervous. It can get scrary and crazy in these kinds of places." she said.

"I know, and that's why I have you so close to me." he told her.

Moments later they were all the way inside and he bought their drinks. He, of course, got a beer. She got a coke. She was going to get a rum and coke but decided not to.

They found a nice little seat and sat right beside each other. He didn't trust people. Especially in a club or bar. So he wanted her at his side. Even though she wasn't exactly his and she could probably handle herself, he still wanted to protect her from mindless, perverted guys.

Quite frankly it's good that Logan was being this cautious because after they were there for nearly 5 minutes some drunken moran made his way over to them. He was eyeing Ororo up and down thoroughly.

Logan noticed and quickly put his right arm around her and pulled her close to his side, their chairs we're already touching so she was nearly on is lap. She was grateful he did so because the guy who came towards them really creeped her out by the way he was checking her out. But also she loved the fact that Logan had pulled her so close. Unforntunatley, the man didn't catch the hint and came closer about to say something.

Logan leaned closer to Ororo. "Sit on my lap." he whispered.

"Excuse me?" she asked confused. She wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.

"Sit on my lap." he repeated in that same whisper.

As the man came right beside them she quickly did as Logan said. She sat on his lap with her legs across his. Logan put both arms around her waist, she twisted some so she could face him and she put her arms around his neck. They both felt very awkward being in that position but they were hoping the man would leave. But he still hung by them. It seemed he wasn't going to ever leave.

Logan looked into Ororo's eyes. Then he decided to try one more thing that should by no doubt send the guy on his way. It should show the man that that beautiful, exotic woman belonged to him and no one else. Even if she really didn't.

Logan moved his face closer to Ororo's. Soon his lips were on hers. She was very shocked but she played along and kissed him back, closing her eyes. It wasn't just a peck either. Logan deepened it and she opened up to it. Although, their wasn't any tongue. He didn't want to go to far considering they weren't actually a couple. Her hands were in his hair and his hands were securely around her holding her in place.

Both of them felt excited but wouldn't allow the other to know. They both let on it was just an act. Logan was just hoping he wouldn't get to excited or else it would be a dead giveaway.

When they finally pulled away the man had left. They didn't even know when he had. They actually got wrapped up in the "fake" kiss. But they were both thinking the same thing, and that was how amazing it was.

Ororo and Logan gazed into each other's eyes for a moment then looked away. They felt very odd. She hoped she wasn't extremely blushing because she sure felt like she was. But the club was kind of dark so it would be hard to tell anyway.

After a short time they had finished their drinks and left. Neither of them talked about the kiss that secretly blew each other away. They honestly didn't even know what to say about it.

Later on they were on Logan's bike and heading back to the mansion. Ororo held onto him tightly, laying her head on his shoulder, as they made their way home. They hadn't said much since they got on the bike. They seemed to be speechless.

It wasn't too long until they entered the gate of the institute and rode into the garage. It wasn't all that late. Only 11:20 PM.

After they got off of the bike they headed into the mansion. There were a few words here or there but nothing major.

They made their way to the stars together. And that's when their conversation would pick up more.

Logan stopped. "Would ya like me to walk you to your room." he asked.

Ororo found the question extaordinary. "Sure, but I thought it wasn't a date." she said smiling.

"It wasn't really supposed to be but it kinda turned out to be like one." he said.

"It sure did." she said back.

"And after what happened at that club anything is possible." he said smiling. And that was the first he mentioned the club since they had left it.

"Yes, very true." she said smiling back.

Logan and Ororo walked up the stairs together. Side by side. They headed toward the girls' side. Once they got to her door they stopped.

"Well I guess it's goodnight." Logan said.

"Yes, it is. So, goodnight. I had a great time." she told him with a smile.

"Me too." he said smiling back.

Ororo gave him a hug. He returned her move. _"Should I kiss him?"_ she thought. _"Oh, might as well."_

She looked into his eyes then moved closer. He was shocked as her lips met his. It was just a little kiss, nothing compared to the one at the club. But he returned it. This one was all real.

When they parted they said goodnight again. And finally went off to themselves. What a goodnight it truly was.

**_Well that was chapter 4:) I hope ya'all liked it. It took me so long to finish it, as you can see. So I really, really hope it sounds good and you enjoy it:) As usual, please R&R:) I love ya'all:)_**


	6. Uprising Emotions

**Chapter Five**

A week had passed by and only some things had changed, but not too much. Ororo and Logan had went out more that week but they still weren't completely calling their outings dates. However, that's what they truly were whether they'd admit to it or not. And the others had noticed that they had been spending more time together. Logan has been wanting to ask her to actually be his girlfriend but he can't find the right words. He's not sure how to go about it at all. She's hoping he'll ask her but she has no idea that he's been considering it. But they both feel that the other has feelings because of how much they've been getting together and talking. You might as well say they are "dating".

Jean and Scott are the same. Nothing had changed with them. Not at this time but things will quite soon.

Rogue and Remy aren't too much different. They are, however, getting closer every day. The serum to help her control her powers had worn off in 24 hours, just as it was expected to do. But within those 24 hours Professor Xavier and Hank had been working on a new formula that would extend it's effectiveness to a week. It took them a few days to develope it. In the middle of the week they gave it to her. So she had went a few days without being able to touch again but she knew it wasn't to last long. Xavier and Hank weren't too sure how the improved serum would work but it turned out to be good. They have decided that for a while they'll be sticking with the weekly serum. They need much more time to make it last a whole month. Next they'll try to formulate it for two weeks, then three and hopefully a month. But Rogue doesn't care how often she has to get the shot. She's so happy she can touch and she would have went through getting a shot every single day if she had to.

Everyone else is the same, for the most part. Nevertheless, Jamie and X23 have still been hanging together but she's more like her normal, kind of gloomy, self. Her mood was oddly good for some reason the day that her and Jamie had acted up in class. She still is somewhat crazy when she's with him but otherwise she's glum and she can be quite bitter towards some of the X-Men. Not that she is intentionally doing so, it's just her true nature. She's so much like Wolverine, although he had softened up some within the years of being at the institute. The only one, aside from him, that she seems to find a liking for is Jamie. Obviously. But her fondness for Jamie is different. It appears as though she may have a crush on him. And he seems to have the same appeal for her. Nothing major but they do hang out a lot and get along surprisingly well. Within time things can happen.

Right now it was in the middle of the night. Everyone was asleep, except for Rogue who had just woke up. She wasn't sure what had awaken her at first. But then she felt something warm against her. The warmth of another being.

The first thought that came to her mind was that maybe Kitty had came over to her bed by accident. Sometime in the middle of the night she could have gotten into Rogue's bed instead of her own. It was possible. When you're half asleep and have a roommate something such as that could happen.

Rogue squinted across the room to Kitty's bed. It was hard to tell at first but once her eyes adjusted she saw that Kitty was in it. And she was sleeping soundly.

So who was in the bed with Rogue? She shuddered at the thought. Although, whoever it was wasn't underneath the covers. The person laid on top of them right behind her. Nevertheless, she felt a slight bit of fear build up in her chest. Afterall, it was the middle of the night and she wasn't fully awake. And someone was on her bed.

She was about to get up when two arms came around her and held onto her. She almost screamed but at that moment she had realized who was behind her. Who else would it be? She knew by now how it felt to have his arms around her. He's been sneaking up on her and grabbing her from behind almost every day, yet every time it freaks her out. _"You are so sly."_ she thought.

"Remy." she whispered trying not to wake Kitty, or anyone else.

He didn't answer her so she tried to turn around. She had some difficulty due to how tight he was holding her. But finally she managed to turn and face him. Too her surprise her eyes met with a pair of glowing red ones, at least they appeared to glow in the dark room. She thought that he was asleep, considering he hadn't answered her.

She felt a little annoyed, but sercretly she felt content with him holding her. "What the hell are ya doin' in my bed, Cajun? And why didn't ya answer me?" she asked in a loud whisper.

"Sorry Chere. Remy jus' wanted t' keep you company. An' he wanted t' see how long it would take you to discover him." he said back in a deep, husky whisper that would have made her knees weak if she hadn't been lying down. He then leaned against his left elbow and gazed into her eyes. He rested his right hand on her hip.

"I don't want any company. Besides, Kitty's sleepin' over there. What if she'd wake up and see us over here." she said not truly knowing how to feel. She grabbed his hand and moved it only for him to place it right back on her hip.

Her emotions were on a rollercoaster ride. There was a pause and then she spoke again. "Oh, and how long were ya over her anyways?" she asked before he said any more. This time she left his hand stay on her hip because she knew he'd only replace it if she had moved it again.

"Not too long. You sure you don't need any company? You seemed t' be tossin' an' turnin'." he said. He then smirked. "I t'ought dat maybe you needed me t' help you sleep." he added and then he winked at her.

"No. I'm fine. I just have had lots runnin' through my head. It won't be much longer and I'll be outta high school. And what, were ya spyin' on me?" she said to him, scowling.

"Not exactly. I was jus' passin' by." he said still smirking.

"Oh sure." she said rolling her eyes. "I hope you're not really over here in hopes of scorin' with me, Swamp Rat, 'cause I ain't like that. Not in a long shot. I mean, I know you're not the cuddlin' kind." she went on.

"Well t' be honest, I did t'ink 'bout it . . ." she hit him on the arm. Of course he grinned. " . . . but oui, I know you're not like dat or you woulda jumped on me de first day you were able to touch . . ." she hit him again. He kept on smirkin'. "An' I don't want you to be like dat. Maybe I was jus' lonely an' wanted some company myself." he said trying to sound more serious. Rather he looked sincere or not he wasn't lying. He did really just want to be near her.

"Yeah, right. I know the kinda girls ya like. And if you're so lonely why didn't ya just go and get some action." she retorted.

"Dem girls are only good for a quickie or a one night stand, Cherie, but dey really don't mean a damn t'ing to moi . . . " he trailed off. He had to mentally kick himself for almost telling her that she meant much more to him than any other girl. Not directly but she wasn't stupid. She'd have caught on. But lucky for him he quickly retreated.

"Really?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Oui. Haven't you noticed dat Remy doesn't go out as of'en as he used to?" he questioned.

"Yeah, and why not?" she asked him. She honestly had noticed that he stayed home more than he did when he first came there. Even though he hadn't really been there all that long yet it was still long enough to recognize a difference in his pattern.

"I wanna be closer to you mon amour." he told her and he moved his face just a few inches from hers and stared deeply into her eyes.

She had no choice but to stare back. She felt as though she were hypnotized. "Then ya just wanna annoy me, Swamp Rat." she said, a slight grin forming over her lips.

"Perhaps so, River Rat." he said smirking.

She hit him once more. "River Rat?"

"Hey, if I'm a Swamp Rat den dat makes you a River Rat." he said and he leaned even closer so that their bodies were pressed together.

Remy then planted a kiss on Rogue's lips. He loved how her lips felt and tasted. And her feelings were mutual.

He only held this kiss for a moment then he moved away. He was tempted to pull her into a deep, long, passionate kiss but it was late and it just wouldn't be right. He felt it was too soon considering she's not easy and sleazy. Plus she means more to him than a cheap thrill. Of course he thought about it many times before she could touch. And now ever more so. But he would never put her in a situation where she felt she had to do anything she wasn't comfortable with. He knew she's far from being ready.

Rogue was silent for a short time, just gazing into his entrancing eyes. It was so hard not to be pulled in. It was almost as if she were spellbound. But finally she spoke again. "Look, I don't care if ya stay over here or leave. I just need to get back to sleep. I have school and it's almost 3:00 in the mornin'." she had to find a way to escape from all of the thoughts and feelings building up within her.

"So I can stay b'cause you said you didn't care, pretty much?" he said. He couldn't help but wink at her. He wasn't sure she noticed though.

"Whichever." was the last thing she said. Her eyes could barely stay open at this moment. She truly was getting sleepy.

Rogue laid there against Remy and fell asleep. He didn't know what to do. He had never actually slept with a woman, in a nonsexual way. He's only done it and left. But he felt different with her, evidently. If it had been any other woman he would have been long gone. In fact, he wouldn't have been there in this situation in the first place. He felt totally strange when around her. Just seeing her made him feel odd. He didn't comprehend the feelings for her to the absolute extent and all he knew was that she made him feel totally different.

Remy just laid there and rested his head on top of Rogue's deep in thought. Then he kissed the top of her head and pulled her as close to him as possible and fell asleep with her in his arms. Another thing he's never done with any other girl.

He knew he'd pay in the morning. That is if Logan caught him in her room or found out. He could only imagine the pain he'd be in. But he didn't care. All that mattered was that he was with his cherie, even if she wasn't yet his to keep.

Morning came quick. Rogue's alarm had already went off. When she woke up she was alone, aside from Kitty who was already up and moving around in the room.

She asked Kitty if she heard anything that night or noticed anything unusual. Kitty said she hadn't seen or heard a thing and ask Rogue if she was feeling okay. Rogue said she was fine. But she wasn't so sure she believed it until it was time to head downstairs for breakfast she had thought it was all a dream. A beautiful dream at that.

Kitty had went down and Rogue said she'd be down in a few minutes. She had to finish getting ready. When she was on her way she heard Logan interrogating someone. As she got closer she could see that it was Remy. Logan had him by the collar of his shirt and held him up off the floor.

_"Oh no. He really was in my room last night. He musta bailed out so he wouldn't get caught. Or so he hoped."_ Rogue thought.

"You dirty, rotten, Cajun! I swear you had better not of been tryin' to get into her pants!" Logan growled.

"I didn't do anyt'ing." Remy said glaring at Logan.

Rogue ran up to them. "Logan! Stop it!" They both turned their heads and looked at her. "Stop. Let him go. He's tellin' the truth."

Logan let go of Remy. Remy fell to his knees due to the fact that he had been lifted off the ground for some time. He still was glaring at Logan but now his eyes appeared to flash red.

Logan looked at Remy then back to Rogue who appeared to be frightened and angry at the same time. Who know's what Logan may have done. "I'm sorry, I thought that he had . . ." he wasn't able to finish his sentence.

"I don't believe this Logan. What the hell's your problem?" Rogue raised her voice.

Logan decided he'd allow her to blow off some steam before he opened his mouth again. He didn't feel like aguing. He'd rather not even stay and hear her fume. But he did.

"Why would ya even think I'd be stupid enough to give myself away so easily. I'll never be like that." she said agrily but at the same time with some hurt in her voice.

Rogue then said nothing for a breif moment. But then she spoke again, on a softer note. "Sure, maybe you're just worried about me, well that's okay. But ya push everything way outta proportion. You're makin' a big deal outta nothin'." she paused for a couple of seconds.

Logan took that pause as an opportunity to jump in. "As I tried to say, I'm sorry. Yeah, I do worry about ya. You're like a daugher to me."

"I know ya love me like a daughter. But you're my friend and I'm yours. So please start actin' like one, Logan. I want ya to be there for me but stop tryin' to control everything that happens with me." she explained staying on a soft tone.

Remy had stood up in the middle of her outburst but hadn't said a word. He just listened to her and could see that she was really upset. Plus you could hear it in her voice. Logan even appeared to be upset.

"Rogue," he started. "I smelt your sent on him. Sorry I jumped to conclusions but I just don't want you hurt. I know the kinda guy he is and I don't trust him. He'll never settle with one girl. He's a low-life piece of sh-t."

Rogue looked from Logan to Remy. "Ya don't even f-ckin' know him." her anger was coming back. But there was also pain showing in her eyes.

"And you do?" Logan said.

"More than you 'cause I don't judge him. There's more to him than you'll ever know. I caught some of his memories when he took to New Orleans. Plus he and I have been communicatin' a lot lately." she said trying to hold back her anger and perhaps her tears. Her emotions were being pulled in two directions. She cares about them both, but in different ways. .

"Ya mean when he knocked ya out and kidnapped ya." Logan said sarcastically.

Remy was getting really frustrated. He glared at Logan and his eyes flashed red once again. He glanced at Rogue. "I'll see you later, Chere. If I don't go t'ings may get bad." he knew that he would end up charging a card and throwing it at Logan. Or he may punch him and quite frankly he didn't want to do either and have to fight him. Who would, other than a crazy person? And more than likely Remy wouldn't be winning that fight.

With that Remy took off to his room and slammed the door behind him. He went to his bed and sat down. He didn't know if he could handle Logan anymore. It was just too much on him. He came to the institute to live in peace, at least while at home. There's still no living in peace in the outside world. And the way Logan acts when Remy is around Rogue just drives him insane.

Back in the hall Rogue looked as though she was about to cry. Logan could tell that she was hurting and he felt bad. He knew he should back down and let her live her life. He needed to stop worrying so much and trying to control her. She was right. He has to face the fact that she's not a child. She's a beautiful, attactive young woman - inside and out.

"Listen Stripes, I'll try to stay outta your way and not kill that lousy Cajun. But if he ever does anything to harm you in any way his ass is mine." Logan told her.

"Promise that you'll butt out?" she asked, a slight smile formed on her face.

"Yeah. Now go eat breakfast." he said.

"Alright." she said. "Aren't ya comin' down?" she wondered.

"Yep. But I don't need Xavier on my case about the little mishap that just took place. So I suppose I have to go talk to that Cajun. I'll be down soon." he told her.

After Logan had promised a few more times not to hurt Remy by any means Rogue headed down for breakfast and Logan headed for Remy's room. He really didn't want to see him now but unfortunately it was something he had to do. He was wrong about Remy's intentions with Rogue. He hadn't tried anything. So Logan needed to start off with a clean slate. Afterall Remy was part of the X-Men so Logan had to get used to it. No matter how much he disliked Remy he'd have to at least tolerate him.

Logan was now on the outside of Remy's door. He hesitated but then he finally knocked. "Hey Gumbo." he said through the door.

"Leave me alone! I have nothin' t' say t' you." Remy yelled out.

"Well, I'm only here to tell ya that I'll back off. But if ya ever hurt Rogue I will make sure you pay, greatly." Logan told him.

"What makes you t'ink I'm gonna hurt her? If I was goin' t' do dat I would have already." Remy stated.

"I guess you're right." Logan stated. "Now would ya open up this door so we can talk like two mature adults?" he added.

Remy wasn't sure but he got up and headed towards the door, opening it. "What else is there t' say?"

"Um, well, if you promise to always treat her with respect then I won't have to be a d-ck and kick your ass, or worse." Logan said forcing a smile.

"I won't harm her, Wolverine. I care 'bout dat fille. More dan I could ever explain." Remy said. _"Merde."_ he thought because now Logan more than likely knows he's falling for Rogue. Or perhaps he had already fell and is still falling. He wasn't sure.

Logan looked at Remy for a moment. _"Does he really care that much for her?"_ he thought. "Alright, then let's make a truce. But I'll still be watchin' ya, Bub." he said then he held out his hand for Remy to shake.

"Fair enough." Remy said hoping Logan was being true to his words. And he shook Logan's hand.

Logan left Remy alone. He went downstairs. Remy stood there thinking for a bit and then he too headed down to get breakfast.

* * *

Later, after the high school students had left for school, Jean and Scott went out together. They went to hang out for most of the day because she had no classes that day. Scott had something on his mind for a while and he just hopes that Jean hadn't caught onto it. If so it would ruin his surprise. He had told everyone else at the institute about it one day when Jean was at an evening class. He really didn't want her to pick up on that so he tried his hardest to keep his thoughts quiet. He tried to push that particular thought to the back of his mind. It was so hard to do. 

After they had went to lunch he asked her if she'd like to just ride around for a little while. He was getting anxoius since he knew that today was the day he was going to get that certain something off of his mind. He couldn't wait to get home but he wanted to make sure that everybody was there first. So driving around town for a while would pass some time. By the time he and Jean got home everyone should be there or be close enough to being home.

"So why don't you want to go home yet?" Jean asked in puzzlement.

Scott had to act as casual as possible. He couldn't give it away. "Um, no reason. Just that it gives us some extra time alone. You know, so we can talk without being interrupted by kids or whatever." he explained, hoping she bought it. But it wasn't all untrue. It did give them time to be alone and talk.

"Okay. So what would you like to talk about?" she asked gazing over at him as he drove.

"Anything you want, baby." he said smiling and glancing at her then he quickly moved his eyes back to the road.

"Hmmm, anything." she said thinking of something. "Well we had already talked about pretty much everything since we went to lunch and hung out most of the afternoon. I really don't know what else to talk about."

"Um, how about we talk about something personal?" he suggested.

"Personal? Like what?" she asked biting her bottom lip.

"Like how amazing it's going to be when we make love." Scott blurted out. He was now slightly blushing.

He didn't really know why he had said that but he's been thinking about it. And she has too of course. But truthfully his mind wasn't exactly on sex. It was elsewhere. He only needed something to talk about to help bide some time.

He looked a little embarrassed about his suggestion. "Sorry. I don't know why I say things sometimes." he apologized.

"It's fine, honey. We can talk about it. I mean, they say if you can't talk about it than you shouldn't be doing it. You know we have discussed it before so it's no big deal. And we are getting closer and closer to going the whole way. So why not talk more about it?" she said with a smile.

"Really?" he said feeling less embarrassed. He should have known better. Obviously they've talked about sex before. They've been together for quite some time now. His feelings were just a little mixed now and he couldn't quite think straight.

"Yeah, it's not like we're strangers. What's up with you today, Scott? You're acting so strange." she said to him with a slight laugh and raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing's up." he said still trying not to blow his plans.

"Alright, so who wants to go first?" she asked him.

"Maybe we'll wait till we get home. Besides, you're right, we have talked about it many times before. So what else is there to talk about?" he told her with a nervous laugh. _"Pull it together."_ he thought. Then he automatically glanced over to Jean. Apparently she hadn't accidently heard that.

"Very true. Maybe we can talk about how hot and sexy you are. Or how you can completely turn me on by just being near me." she said flashing a flirtatious grin.

"Jean, I'm driving, remember? Hold your hormones until we're home. You could cause me to wreck." he joked. But the way she was talking could very well have done so. She could easily turn him on by some of the things she says or does. And sometimes just being near her does the trick for him too.

They went on talking until they finally arrived at the mansion. It was now 4:30 so everyone should definitely be home. Scott could hardly wait. He was to let out the surprise right before dinner. There was still about an hour until then. He was hoping he could find something to do for the time being,

Once he parked his car in the garage he and Jean went inside. Everything was as usual. For a little bit Jean and Scott separated. He went upstairs to get prepared and she remained downstairs. She went into the rec room. She noticed that Rogue was in there by herself lying on the couch. Her backpack was on the floor in front of the soffa. And to Jean's surprise there weren't any younger students in there. They were most likely outside, unless Logan was giving one of his surprise sessions. Sometimes he'd give the younger students and newer recruits extra training.

Jean was heading into the room when someone walked right up behind her. Rogue hadn't noticed because she was not not looking in that direction. Jean felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped and let out a squeal.

"Bonjour Cherie." said Remy with a grin. "Did Remy scare you?" he asked with a smirk for he had already knew that he had scared her.

"Yeah. Why did you sneak up on me?" she asked waiting for her heart to stop pounding in her chest.

"I didn't intend to. I was jus' comin' to see what's keepin' Rogue. She wanted me t' help her wit' her French homework and she never came t' get me when she got home." he said and then he glanced over and saw her on the couch, now sitting up appearing to be alarmed.

Remy looked back to Jean. "Dere she is. Oh an' by de way, where's de boyfriend?"

"Upstairs." she said.

"Den perhaps Remy can steal a kiss from you." he said smirking.

Rogue now was heading towards them. As she came near she saw Jean hit Remy on arm. "No offense but I don't think so."

"Non taken." he said still smirking. Then Rogue came over and smacked him too. "What?" he asked as if he really didn't know what he got hit for.

"Ya know what, Swamp Rat." Rogue said half smiling.

Remy laughed. "I'm sorry, maybe I should be askin' t' steal a kiss from you, Mon Amour." he said staring into her eyes.

"Uh . . . no." Rogue said, even though he had already kissed her and she had kissed him back. But she still wanted to play hard to get. If he really wanted her he'd have to work for it. And he'd have to prove her truly cared about or loved her. Even though she did give him some extra affection from time to time and hoped he couldn't figure her true intentions out.

There was complete silence for a moment or so until Jean broke it by asking them, "Do either of you know where everyone else is?"

Rogue looked at her. "Yep, but I'm real positive about the Professor. I think he's down in his study. I know Hank and Logan are in the danger room giving a session to the younger students and the newer recruits, except for this Cajun . . . " Rogue said poking him in the chest. She then went on. "Ororo's out in the kitchen and I'm not too sure where Kitty and Kurt are. Probably doing homework together, as usual."

"Oh. Why aren't you training too, Remy?" Jean questioned.

"I don't need any extra trainin'." he joked. "No no, jus' kiddin'. I did train but Wolverine told me I didn't have a lot t' do t'day."

"Maybe he thinks you're already well-trained." Jean said smiling.

"Maybe. I mean, I'm definitely not outta shape." he said back and a smirk spread across face, go figure.

Rogue gazed at him. That was surely the truth. She could see his chest muscles through his T-shirt, which was skin-tight, and the ones on his arms. She couldn't help but think _"Yum"_.

Rogue's thoughts on Remy were so loud that Jean had picked up on them. She looked at Rogue and smiled. "Well I'll let you two talk or whatever. I'm going out to the kitchen. Sure enough dinner will be ready in no time." with that Jean left them alone.

As soon as she left Remy walked directly in front of Rogue and looked down at her. His eyes seemed to be burning into hers. He moved even closer so that their bodies were pressed tightly together.

"Remy." she said still staring into his amazingly beautiful eyes.

"Yeah?" he said back staring back into her gorgous, emerald eyes, which seemed to sparkle, and he placed his hands on her hips.

"Nothin'." she said and she pulled her eyes away from his, although it wasn't easy.

"Is dere somethin' you wanna tell moi?" he asked. He could see that there was from her expression and the fact that his eyes were locked on hers for some time, that is before she broke the gaze..

"No." she said. And she tried to move away.

He wouldn't allow her to. He wrapped his arms around her waist, leaving no space between their bodies, until she was staring at him again. Then without any words he moved his face inches from hers and soon his lips were over hers.

She felt as if her knees were going to buckle and she would fall but luckily he was holding onto her so tightly, yet so tenderly. They slowly inched towards the wall and he benignly pushed her against it and she placed her hands over his muscular chest. She was taken over by her emotions as her hands moved up his chest and to his neck. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair, which was longer and nearly to his shoulders. His bangs fell over his eyes just a little. Now his hair was actually slightly longer than hers. He would often pull it back into a low ponytail or sometimes he'd leave it down, as he did today.

The kiss deepened and Remy slipped his tongue into her mouth, not forcefully though. After a few seconds or so Rogue returned his move and their tongues were dancing with one another. She couldn't help but leave out a soft moan. And when Remy grabbed her right leg and lifted it up and around his hip she moaned softly again. Luckily each time it was muffled by the kiss. She could now feel him against her. Fortunately he wasn't too turned on, at least not yet. She was getting there though. She felt a tingling warmth building up between her thighs.

But soon they were interrupted. They heard the younger students talking loudly and they quickly pulled away. They shared an awkward stare for a moment and then headed out of the rec room. Remy motioned for Rogue to exit first. He followed behind her with his hand lightly on the small of her back.

At this time dinner had been finished and everyone gathered to eat. Once all was seated Scott said that he had an announcement to make. He pushed his chair back and stood up facing Jean. She appeared to be confused by this since she thought he had something to say to everybody, not just her. But instead he turned to her. She looked at him with a deeply puzzled expression. The others already knew what was to take place but Jean, of course, had no idea.

As she glanced up at Scott he slowly bent down on one knee and her eyes widened. As he pulled out a small, black, velvet box her mouth dropped open. He stared directly into her eyes. She could only guess that he was.

"Jean, I love you more than anything and I'd give my life for you and I know your feelings are mutual." he then opened the box and revealed a beautiful gold engagement ring. It had one bigger diamond in the center with tiny diamonds around the rest of it. She was still staring at him when he removed the ring from the box and reached for her left hand. She gave it to him. "Will you marry me?" he finally asked with a smile, still staring into her eyes and he slipped the ring over her ring finger.

For a moment Jean was speechless. Everyone else was watching her and Scott. Tears of joy filled her eyes. "Yes Scott! I will!" she exclaimed. As she jumped up out of her chair Scott stood up. She gave him a kiss and threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him over. He had returned her kiss and embrace.

The others all cheered. They all were happy for their two friends. Soon Jean and Scott sat back down and everybody began with dinner.

"It's about time." Kurt finally said. Most shared their agreement on that.

"Yeah, we like thought you were never going to pop the question." Kitty added.

"Well, I wanted to make sure it wasn't too soon and that the time was right. I figured that this would be perfect." Scott explained.

Xavier spoke. "Very wise because you don't want to do something like that unless you are completely sure about it. I wish you both the very best of luck."

"I'm sure they'll do fine." Logan added.

Ororo and Hank agreed. They knew too how much Jean and Scott loved each other. In fact, everyone there did. Even the newest members knew. They were meant to be and it was like it was written in the stars.

After the little conversation amoung the rest of the teammates everyone ate. Soon dinner was over and the dining area slowly cleared out. Jean and Scott headed up to Jean's room.

Once they were inside the room, they had only partially closed the door, the young couple went over and sat on the edge of her bed.

"I still can't believe you proposed to me! And to top it off, in front of everybody!" Jean exclaimed.

Scott reached over and took her left hand and held it in his hand. "Well, I felt it was finally the right time and place. I wanted it that way. I felt that they should all be present when I proposed. And everyone, aside from you, knew beforehand." he told her and then he kissed the palm of her hand.

"You are sneaky. But I like it." she said and she leaned over closer to him and they shared a warm, passionate kiss.

When the kiss broke Jean all of a sudden jumped up off of the bed and ran over to her desk. Scott looked at her the way one would look at a crazy person. But then she came back with her cell phone and he had an idea to what she was up to. "I have to call my parents and tell them the great news." she said excitedly.

"Oh, yeah, I suppose you should do that. I hope they're happy." he said. He still felt kind of nervous about her parents, although he had no true idea to why.

"Of course they'll be happy, honey. They love you just as much as they love my sister and me. They are glad to know I'm with such a wonderful, young man. They never really cared for Duncan one bit." she stated truthfully.

"Who would ever guess why?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jean just gave Scott a look that said _"I know what you mean"_ and then she dialed her parents' phone number.

After a few rings someone answered. "Hello." said the voice on the other end.

"Sara, hi sweetheart. Um . . . are Mom and Dad home?" Jean asked.

"Yeah, they've just finished up with dishes. Why?" Sara said.

"Well I have some news for you all." Jean told her sister.

"What kind?" Sara asked curiously. "Is it good?" she added.

"Yes. Actually it's great." Jean said with a huge smile, although her sister couldn't see it through the phone line. Obviously.

"Do tell!" Sara exclaimed.

"Sorry honey, but I want to wait until Mom and Dad can hear it too." Jean stated with the smile never leaving her lips.

Scott watched her expressions as she spoke on the phone. He was just as excited as her. He only wished he had parents to share his exciting news with. At least he had his brother and the X-Men were a lot like one big family.

After Jean and Sara spoke a couple more minutes Sara told their parents that Jean needed to tell them all something. Their mother got on the line. "Hi darling. So what's the news you have to tell us?" she asked. Their father was standing right beside her.

"I'd like to tell you all at the same time so could you put me on the speaker?" Jean asked.

"Sure." her mother said and she did just that. "There you go. Now shoot away."

"Okay . . . " Jean paused for a moment trying to think of how she was going to say it. "I'm going to come out straight. I'm engaged!" she said not hiding her joy and happiness one bit.

Jean heard her family cheering. They knew it would happen but they had no idea when. They were thrilled to hear how joyous she sounded. They could even picture the look on her face for they had seen her happy before. But of course this was even more so.

Her father spoke. "You're still with Scott Summers, right?" he questioned. He, without any doubts, knew she was.

"Duh, of course. There will never be anyone else for me." Jean said still smiling and she gazed at Scott. He looked at her and smiled back.

"Good. He's a very nice young man. So much better than that moron you used to date. What was his name? Danny, Donny . . ." her father said.

"Duncan. Yeah, Scott is great. I'm glad you're all happy." Jean said.

"How could we not be?" her mother said.

Jean told her family to hold on a second then she turned to Scott. "See, I told you there was nothing to worry about."

"Jean, let me talk to him." said her father upon overhearing his daughter.

"Scott, Dad would like to talk to you." Jean said handing her phone over to him.

Scott appeared to still be nervous. And, again, he didn't understand why. But he took her phone and placed it to his ear. "Yes Mr. Grey." he said.

"You know, you could call me Dad . . . if you'd like. I mean, you are going to be my son-in-law. And we already see you as part of the family and it was inevitable that you two would be getting married. So don't be so nervous about us. To be honest, yes, we were a little skeptical about you in the beginning before we knew how nice you were. But that was even way before you and Jean were together. When we first sent Jean there we were skeptical about the entire Xavier Institute. It was all new to us. But as time passed and we saw how happy our little girl, who is now a beautiful, young woman, was our skeptism changed. We then realized that sending her away there was truly the very best thing for her. She was learning how to control and properly use her abilities. So, Scott, don't think that we don't like you or any of that because that isn't true." Jonathan told him.

Scott took everything in and realized how silly he was to still be feeling uneasy about Jean's family. "Okay, Mr. Gr- . . . I mean, Dad." he sure felt odd saying that. "I'll try. It's just all new and strange."

"Yes, I know. It will all be easier as time goes by. Just remembe to not be so tense." Jean's father said.

And her mother told him pretty much some of the same things. Sara was happy that Jean and Scott were going to get married at some point for it wasn't only a great and exciting thing but it also meant she'd get to be in a wedding. She had always wanted to be in one.

It was now starting to get kind of late so Jean said goodbye to her family. Scott said good by as well. He felt so much better after the talk with her father, and her mother. But it still felt strange to call him _"Dad"_.

"Scott, see. I told you my family loves you. But baby, I love you more." Jean said smiling.

"How much?" Scott asked just to see what she'd say or do.

"This much . . . " she said then she trailed off and her lips were soon on his.

She glanced towards her partly open door and telekinetically shut it. She then turned her focus back to Scott whose eyes, if she could see them, were wide. He had a feeling what was next.

They began to make out and soon clothes were on the floor so it wasn't too long before they were both completely undressed. And just like the last time they slowly and romantically pleasured one another. Still not going the whole way but they both had the feeling that it wouldn't be much longer before they would be. They got closer and closer to it every time. After they each knew the other was fully satisfied they just held onto one another and kissed a little more until they drifted off into a deep and peaceful sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, Logan was just coming upstairs. He couldn't sleep so he had went to the garage and got his bike about an hour ago. He decided to take it for a little late night ride. Now he's home and he was planning on heading straight to his room. He figured he'd sleep fine now. 

But as he was coming up the stairs he heard something coming from the girls' dorms. It sounded like someone was crying, it was so faint but of course he could hear it. When he came closer towards the top of the staircase he could tell it was coming from Ororo's room. He ran as quickly, and quietly, as he could until he reached her room. Her door wasn't entirely closed so he peaked in and saw her sitting up on her bed. Her knees were bent and against her chest, she had her arms folded over them with her head down. Her face was buried and she was sobbing. It had seemed louder now that he was right there but it wasn't loud enough for the others to hear.

Logan came rushing in. Although he did have an idea what was wrong he still worried about her and he had to see if there was anything he could do to help her.

He made his way across the room to her bed. He slowly, and as carefully and gently as he could, sat down on the edge of her bed. He then reached over and began to stroke her hair.

Ororo was started and she jumped, nearly screaming. She hadn't heard him come in due to her crying. "Shhh. It's just me." Logan told her in a whisper.

"Logan! How long have you been there?" Ororo asked him still sort of startled and he could see her eyes were red and puffy from crying. And her cheeks were wet.

"Not too long. I just got here. I came home from a spin on my bike and I was going to go to bed. But I heard ya crying." he said. He was still stroking her hair but now he slid over closer so that he was fully on the bed with her. With his other hand he reached over and wiped away her tears, from around her eyes and on her face.

"Oh my goodness. How bad was it? Did anyone else hear me?" she said with surprise. She really didn't like anyone to see her cry, or even hear her. She didn't think she was that loud.

"No. But _I_ could hear it." he said to her.

"Good, so it was only you." she said to him. She didn't really like him to know she was crying either but him knowing about it didn't bother her as much as if everyone could have heard.

"Was it more nightmares?" he questioned her even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes. There's times when I don't have them but when I do they are unbearable. Even though Charles helps me as much as he can it still won't erase them. He says that it's not good to completely erase memories, even bad ones, because they are a part of who you are. But there's times, such as this, that I don't care and just wish that he would rid my mind of them. They are so horrible and painful." she said feeling her eyes swell up with tears again. They began to stream down her face and she couldn't hold them back no matter how hard she tried they just kept falling.

Logan wiped them away again. "Dealing with the past isn't easy but I guess he is right. Take it from me, not knowing about your past isn't all that hot either. It leaves a sorta empy space inside. And for the longest time I had no idea who I was. Or why I had these claws and all of that. I still don't know everything. So he knows what he's talking about." he said still stroking her hair and holding onto her tightly.

"Oh, I know. And when I'm awake I barely think of that. I try to reminisce about all of the good that has happened to me. Though that hadn't taken place until the Professor found me. Up until that point I was so lost and confused. And of course I had been used many times and treated badly by some people. But you pretty much know all of that anyway." she stated, her head was on his shoulder.

"Yep, I sure do. I'm so glad that you're here though. You are a really great person and you can make someone feel good. You are kind and just and so beautiful." he told her, not realizing until it was too late that he had allowed the last part stip out. _"Damn you, Logan."_ he thought.

She moved her head from his shoulder and stared into his eyes for what seemed like forever. Then a smile finally swept over her face. "You are beautiful too Logan. In so many ways. I mean, you may be rough around the edges but you have smoothed out quite a lot since you had became part of this team. And there's not much I don't like about you, meaning I sometimes am frightened when you get angry and tempered but other than that you're perfect. At least in my eyes." she too realized that way more came out of her mouth than she truly intended to. But she thought, _"Oh well, he needs to know."_

"I wouldn't say perfect . . . " he said but before he could finish she inched her face closer to his and pressed her lips against his.

He didn't react at first but it didn't take long for him to. Soon they were sharing a warm and passionate kiss. This one was much deeper and longer than the others for they had only been pecks or quick kisses. This one was full of emotion. Their arms ended up being tightly wrapped around one another and soon she was sitting on his lap, with her legs over his. He loved the way her lips tasted and she loved his too. They felt they could stay like that forevermore.

When the kiss finally had ended she gazed into his eyes. "Logan, would you stay with me tonight? I just do not want to be alone right now." she asked. She was afraid of having another nightmare and she wanted someone there with her incase she did.

Logan had to think about it for a brief moment. "Oh I suppose it couldn't hurt." he said agreeing to stay.

Afterall, he was getting a chance to sleep in the same bed with a beautiful woman. One he loves. And he now knows that she loves him too. It's so clear for she had given all of the right signals. He hoped that he too had given the right signals as well. But he was sure she now knows how he truly felt considering he has been opening up so much with her. She has been the only person, in a long, long time, that he has done so with. Even Professor X didn't know how he felt most of the time. The Professor could only sense some of it. He knew Logan was troubled but Logan often brushed off Xavier's help. He felt he needed to learn to manage things on his own.

Once Logan had agreed to stay with Ororo she patted the bed beside her so he laid down next her. But when she covered herself he thought he should be a gentleman and he remained on top of the covers. He pulled her as close to him as possible and she snuggled up to him, laying her head on his shoulder. Her forehead was pressed into the crook of his neck. He put his arms around her and pulled her even closer. She looked up into his eyes and he gazed back. Then their lips met for a tender goodnight kiss. Once they pulled away they quickly fell into a deep sleep. He had no trouble falling asleep this time. She felt safe and content knowing that he was right there and she was wrapped up in his arms.

**_I hope you all like this chapter. Again, it took me so long to finish cause I had to make sure everything sounded as good as possible. So hopefully it does. I had read over this many times and had changed a number of things to make it better. So do tell me what you think:) Be kind - LOL:) No, just be honest as usual:) I'll try to work on my next chapter soon. But I want to wait until I know how this one went first. Ya'all take care:) R&R:)_**


	7. Getting Closer

**Chapter Six**

Friday had finally arrived. Logan was already awake and just watching Ororo sleep. Her alarm would soon be going off because it was almost 6:00 in the morning.

When he had first awaken he almost forgot where he was. But it didn't take him long to realize since she was still wrapped up in his arms. And at that moment he quickly remembered everything.

The alarm rang and Ororo was immediately wide awake. It seemed as if it had startled her. She too was confused when she felt someone with her. Once she saw it was Logan and he was still holding her everything that had happened flashed into her mind. It all had been so much like a dream. She looked into his eyes and smiled.

"Good mornin' darlin'. I hope ya had pleasant dreams." Logan said to her and he then kissed her forehead.

"Good morning. Well, actually, I don't even recall what dreams I had. You really calmed me and I slept quite well." Ororo told him with a smile. And then she looked at him funny. "Darling?"

"We are together? Aren't we?" he asked feeling confused by her question.

"I do suppose we are. I mean, one would think so considering everything we've been doing . . . going out together, being around each other mostly all of the time and the fact that we slept together last night. But probably no one knows of that." she stated.

Logan had a strange grin on his face and he was nearly laughing before she even finished her statement. When she was done he said, "Yep, I guess we did."

Ororo raised an eyebrow and an odd expression came upon her face. "What's so funny? Did I say something humorous?" she asked.

"Kinda. It's just the way ya worded it. You said that we slept together last night." he said grinning again.

"We did . . . " she started then she caught on to him. "Logan, that's not what I meant. I never expected you to think that." she then laughed and shook her head at him.

"Hey, I'm only a man. But I know what ya meant. We spent the night together and we actually did sleep. Therefore, we slept together." he said.

They talked for a few more moments then she told him she had better get out of bed and get ready for the day. Then she had to head downstairs and help with breakfast, as usual. And it was already almost 10 minutes past 6:00. So they shared a quick kiss and he left the room.

After Logan left, Ororo got dressed and did what she needed to do. Logan went to his room to get changed and then he went around to make sure all of the students were awake. They were which made his morning a little easier. He was in a good mood and didn't feel like having to get put into a bad one. Being in a good mood was something rare with him.

* * *

Everyone had eaten breakfast and most of the younger students, along with Kitty and Kurt, had already left for school since they were going to walk. Some left sooner than others though so they weren't exactly_ all _walking together.

Scott was going to help Hank with teaching Jamie and X23. He could do something. Hank was hoping there'd be no problems with those two. Usually they're not too bad for him because he often tries to make things fun. But Scott is not really the fun type, especially with teaching and training, so Hank was hoping he could get him to try to loosen up some.

Professor Xavier had left the mansion for the morning to take care of some private business. He said he'd be back sometime in the afternoon.

Logan was going to be giving Warren, Remy and Piotr a danger room session in about a half hour. And they weren't one hundred percent thrilled with that, but who is?

At this time Rogue was in the garage getting her bike ready and she was really wanting to ride it to school. But just as she was about to put on her helmet, which was green, black and purple and matched the colors of her bike, Remy came striding up to her.

"So, you're takin' your bike t' school t'day, Cherie?" he said.

"Yeah, why?" she asked.

"Jus' wonderin', dat's all." he told her.

"Well Swamp Rat, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Why else would I be standin' here gettin' ready to put on my helmet" she said sarcastically.

"Ooh, Remy loves it when you get like dat." he said grinning and he winked at her.

"Like what?" she asked him.

"Annoyed with moi. You look so damn hot an' sexy when you're mad, not dat you don't look de same all de time." he said and he moved closer to her.

She rolled her eyes. "Look, I have to get to school. I don't have time for your flirtatious games. Although, if ya want you can get your bike and ride with me." she said not fully knowing why she had suggested that. _"He annoying me enough already. But he sure looks hot doing so. When doesn't he look hot though?"_ she thought.

"Hmmm, dat sounds good. But I wanna ride wit' you later wit'out de bikes." he flirted.

"Cajun, give it a rest." she said but before she could say any more he pulled her into his arms and his lips crashed down onto hers.

She nearly fell backwards and stubbled over her bike but his strong arms held her so close to him. His tongue invaded her mouth and soon she was returning his moves. She started to feel strange, the same way she felt the last time he had kissed her. In a moment he moved away and they stared into each other's eyes.

"Remy, I really have to be goin'. If you're goin' to ride with me then get movin' elsewhere." she told him trying to brush away and deny the feelings burning throughout her entire body.

"Alright, Chere. I'll ride wit' you. But we'll continue dis later." he said with a wink.

Rogue rolled her eyes at Remy again, even if she didn't think it was all that bad of an idea. But she couldn't cave in. She wouldn't. She had to stay strong. And he too was feeling the same. He felt drawn to her, no doubt. Now with her on his mind he had completely forgotten about the training session.

It wasn't long before they had their helmets on and were both on their own bikes. Seconds later they were riding out through the institute gates and off toward Bayville High.

* * *

At this moment Jean came into the rec room where Ororo was sitting on the soffa. She seemed to be staring into space because she hadn't even noticed Jean's presence. Jean came over to the soffa and took a seat. Finally Ororo took notice to her and she jumped. 

"Jean, you startled me." Ororo said placing her right hand over he chest. She felt her heart racing and it felt as if it were going to come out of her chest any moment.

"Oh, sorry. It's just that I've been thinking about some things, personal things, but I don't know who to talk to. I was wondering if you'd care if I asked you some things so I can clear my mind? I would ask the Professor but I think this is more of something I should be talking to another woman about." Jean said nervously.

"You know you can always come to me about anything, dear. Now what's been on your mind?" Ororo said in a soothing tone, she could see that Jean was nervous. She placed her arm around Jean's shoulder.

"Well, you know that Scott and I are very, very close. And of course we are now engaged. Um, I know he's been feeling the same things I've been feeling. Not to say too much, but we've already done stuff, if you know what I mean?" Jean stated.

"Yes, I figured you two have done something by now. Are you worried it's too soon?" Ororo said.

"No, I'm not worried and neither is he. It's just that I think I'm ready to go all the way with him and I was wanting another woman's advice on that. Should I or should I wait longer?" Jean questioned.

"Have you talked to him about this?" Ororo asked. She decided she'd ask before she answered Jean's questions.

"No, but I'm sure he can tell." Jean stated.

"Hmmm, well, you should talk to him. But if you want my advice I believe you should do what you feel is right. Although, only go the whole way if you are completely sure about it. Make sure you'll have no regrets. You don't want that. Take my word. See, even I had made mistakes. I've misjudged true love. To make a long story short, I did something I regret ever so badly. I've wished so many times that I had been wiser and waited. Once Charles found me and I was here I had promised myself I'd never fall in love again. Although, I had realized later that that was a promise I couldn't, by any means, keep. Falling in love is unstopable. But I was quite young then and it wasn't true love. They say 'true love is forever'. Anyway, my moral is only do what you feel you're ready to do. Don't do it if you're not one-hundred percent sure. It's your choice and no one elses'." Ororo explained, hoping she didn't sound like she was preaching. She only wanted to make sure Jean didn't make a mistake she'd regret for all time.

"Oh, I know Scott would never hurt me in any way. And he'd certainly never force me into anything. We are in love for sure." Jean said looking into Ororo's eyes.

"Very true but just think of what I told you. If you are one hundred percent sure then no one is stopping you. You are both adults and quite free to make your own choices, just make wise ones. I know you two are deeply in love. So does everyone else." Ororo told her.

"Of course. I _am_ sure I'm ready. I've been thinking about this for so long. And we've been getting further and further every time. I think it's going to happen soon and that's why I had to ask for your advice." Jean told Ororo.

"Well honey, if it happens it's meant to be. Just make sure you use protection, unless you're planning on having a baby some time in the near future." Ororo said smiling.

"He already has condoms and so do I, to be on the safe side. We've already talked about it many times." Jean said.

"Good, then it sounds like you two are very wise. Talking about it is the first step. Something I also had not done. I'm sure you'll do what's right. But if you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask me, okay. And don't look so nervous, this is something natural. There's no need to be embarrassed that you came to me." Ororo told Jean.

"Sure, thank you very much. It just feels odd, you know, talking to you about sex. But I'm not embarrassed." Jean said and she hugged her friend. " I love you."

"Yes, you're very welcome. I guess it is a bit odd. I love you too." Ororo said returning Jean's embrace and she planted a kiss on Jean's forehead. Jean was like a younger sister to her.

When the two pulled away from the embrace Jean looked into Ororo's eyes again. "So, what did you mean when you said that not falling in love again was a promise that you couldn't keep, other than not being able to stop love - obviously?"

Ororo thought about the question for a moment then she said, "Well Jean, I think, no I know, I've fallen in love again. But I know this person loves me too."

Jean looked at Ororo. "It's Logan, isn't it? I mean, I've noticed that you two have been spending lots of time together. And it's been going on for quite some time now. I think some of the others have noticed as well."

"Yes, it's Logan. And I never even knew he could be so romantic and passionate." Ororo stated and a smile swept over her face.

"Who would have guessed. Especially the way he acts most of the time. I know he means well though." Jean said.

"Yes, he's great. Also, he's quite the gentleman. Very sweet and kind, unexpectedly. And I know he's not bluffing because things that he does he wouldn't do if it weren't the real thing." Ororo told Jean.

Jean grinned. "So since we were talking about sex, have you two . . .?"

"Oh my, no! We're not that serious yet. We haven't done anything, other than kissing. He's really understanding and is okay with taking it slow. Thank goodness." Ororo said feeling a bit odd. She felt her cheeks get warm.

"I know, I was just picking on you. I made you blush, sorry." Jean said smiling.

"That's okay." Ororo stated even though she was a bit embarrassed. _"And here I am telling her not to be embarrassed."_ she thought. Luckily Jean hadn't picked up on that thought.

"Well thank you for being here for me. And you know that if you'd ever need me I'll be here for you too. Right?" Jean said.

"Yes of course." Ororo said back.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later. I have to go." Jean said and she gave Ororo another hug.

"Alright, honey." Ororo responded and she returned Jean's embrace. And she gave Jean another kiss on the forehead.

Jean then went to find Scott because she wanted to see him before she headed off to her class. And after searching downstairs she ran upstairs and found him in his room staring out the window.

"Is there something exciting out there?" Jean said breaking the silence.

He turned around and smiled at her. "Not really. I guess I was just spacing out. I'll soon be helping Hank with the kids. So what's up? Don't you have a class?"

"Nothing. Yeah, but I wanted to say goodbye." she told him smiling back.

They rushed together, hugged for a moment and shared a long kiss before they slowly pulled away.

"Well I'll see you later honey." she said.

"Yep. I love you." he said back.

"I love you too." then she was off on her way.

* * *

Meanwhile, Remy had just returned to the mansion. He still had no rememberance of the training session. His mind was only on one thing . . . Rogue. But he was soon to have a reminder. 

As he entered the foyer Logan was standing there. He wasn't really waiting for Remy, he just happened to be at the same place at the same time. When he saw Remy he raised an eyebrow.

"So Gumbo, why'd ya miss training?" Logan asked crossing his arms.

_"Merde!"_ Remy cursed at himself. He now remembered, obviously. "Sorry, Rogue rode her bike t' school an' I wanted t' ride along." he explained.

"Oh, but that's still no excuse to miss training." Logan said sternly.

"Remy know. Jus' completely forgot."

"Well, ya will be makin' it up right now." Logan stated not losing his sterness.

"Now? But I jus' got back. An' aren't you tired from gettin' done wit' a session yourself?" Remy protested for he didn't feel like doing a 'Logan Session' at that moment.

"Yes, right now. And no, I'm just gettin' pumped up. By the way, since you're late it's just you and me Cajun." Logan said.

_"Great."_ Remy thought. "Alright den, let's get dis over wit'."

With that said they both headed to the danger room so Remy could make up his session. After an hour the session was complete. Logan was very impressed with Remy's skill and he even told him he did well.

Logan had went to get a cup of coffee. He would have prefered a nice, cold beer, especially after two hours of training, but he settled with coffee. At that moment Ororo was teaching so he'd have to wait to see her. Which was good, that way he could have his drink and take a shower.

Remy went upstairs and to his room. He left the door open as he went in and flung himself down over the bed. He was beat.

He was only lying down for about ten minutes when Scott came down the hall by his room. He noticed Remy lying there and knocked on his open door.

"Who is it?" Remy called out not moving.

"It's me, Scott. Do you have a moment? I have to ask your advice on something."

Remy sat up and stared across the room at him. "Excuse moi? Did de big shot leader jus' ask Remy if he could have some advice?" he said sarcastically. Then he pinched his own arm to see if he wasn't dreaming. It hurt so he knew he was awake.

"Remy, don't be an ass. This is important. But yes, I asked you if I could get some advice." Scott stated.

"Well den, what do you want advice 'bout?" Remy asked.

"Um, this is kind of awkward." Scott said nervously.

"Shoot away. What is it?" Remy told him.

"I think Jean and I are going to make love any time soon. I was just wondering if you have anything you could tell me that could help? I mean, you are well experienced . . . from what I hear. And I am not, by far. I've never even had sex so I'm a little on the nervous side." Scott explained still feeling oddly.

"You're a virgin?! Wow. I seriously t'ought you two had already taken dat step." Remy said shockingly.

"Yes, and no, we haven't gone all the way yet. But I only want to know one thing . . . when do you know it's the right time?" Scott asked.

Remy looked at Scott. "Well, I couldn't tell you when it would be right for you. Dat's somethin' you have t' find out on your own. But if you are ready den you have t' wait for her. Never do it if de _fille_ isn't completely ready. Dat a big no no. Although, the women I have sex wit' are jus' sleezy so dere wasn't love involved. But still I only go where I'm invited, if you know what I mean." he explained the best he could.

"Yeah, you're right. I think she is though. We've been talking about it more and more. And the last time we messed around we nearly went all the way." Scott stated.

"Hmmm, den I'd say it'll be soon. Jus' be safe 'bout it, cover it up. I always do but of course who knows where de women I f-ck have been. Jean's clean, I'm sure, but I know you two aren't ready for kids, non? An' remember to be gentle. Don't jus' go rammin' it in. It eventually gets better an' better. But women are different den us, dey don't always get off from sex so you have t' make sure you pleasure dem by other means as well. I'm sure you know what I'm sayin'." Remy explained more.

"I already have protection but yes she is clean, considering it's her first time too. Though either way we'd be using it because, no, we don't want children. Not yet at least. And yes no doubt I'll be gentle and I will definitely make sure she's pleased. I'd never let her hang." Scott said.

"Good, den it sounds like your ready. Jus' let it happen. When de time is right it will." Remy said. "Believe me." he then grinned.

"Thanks. This still feels odd though because I never thought I'd be coming to you for advice." Scott said smiling.

"You're welcome. It is odd b'cause I never t'ought you'd be askin' my advice on anyt'ing. But you know dat Remy is great wit' de ladies." Remy said still grinning.

"Yeah and that's why I came to you." Scott said. "And I couldn't see myself going to Logan or the Professor or Hank. That would feel overly odd."

"Good choice in comin' t' moi. I hope I helped." said Remy.

"You did. Thanks again. Well I'm going to let you go, Jean should be home soon." Scott said.

"No problem mon ami. I need t' get some rest anyway." Remy told him and then he added with a wink, "Have fun wit' Jean."

Scott smiled and then left the room. His talk with Remy really did help him. For once he is glad that someone like Remy is on the team, considering that he knows a lot about women. Scott was still a tad bit uneasy about going the whole way, even though he was sure he was ready and he knows that Jean will soon as well. If not already. It's just slightly different territory for them. But he knows when the time does come all of the strangeness he feels will completely fade.

* * *

_There was chapter 6. I really hope you liked it. And I hope I stuck to the character personalities. I try so hard. Also, hopefully I split up the scenes well. Anyway, just do what you always do - R&R. If something is totally messed up I can fix it. _

_**A note for the next chapter**: I did some research on X23 and found out that her real name is Laura Kinney. And she's also called "Talon", although I won't be referring to that codename. (Some of you may know that). So in the next chapter I have an idea for the Professor to find out her real name and he informs her and everyone else. I'm sure she'd rather be called Laura than X23, considering she's now being treated as a person and not a weapon. That's not my only idea, obviously, but it's going to be one of the major scenes. Let me know if you think that's good or not. _

_Well that's all:) I hope to get some reviews:) Criticize if you must 'cause it lets me know if I need to work harder on certain areas:) As long as it's nice criticizing -LOL:D _


	8. Everlasting Love

****

Chapter Seven

Jean had just walked into the foyer and Scott came over to her. He pulled her into a strong embrace, of course she returned his move. He then pressed his lips to hers and they briefly kissed.

"Hi Scott." Jean said once the kiss ended. "Why are you so excited?"

Scott looked into her eyes. "I'm so glad to see you." He paused for a moment. "Um, could we talk in private?"

She looked a bit confused for a second or so but then her eyes widened. "Oh sure." she said and then she kissed him.

Scott took Jean by the hand and they headed upstairs to his bedroom. Once they were inside he shut the door behind them and went over and sat on the edge of her bed. He then patted the space beside him.

Jean sat down beside him and for a bit they stared at one another. They both knew why they were sitting there behind a closed door. He hadn't told her what he wanted to talk about but she had tapped into his psyche without even having to try. She had wanted to talk about the same thing anyway. That's all she thought about since she spoke with Ororo that morning.

"You probably know what we're going to talk about, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, sex. I wanted so much to talk earlier but I had to go to class. But there's not really much to talk about. We already know where we stand and I know the next time we make out and stuff we'll, more than likely, end up going all the way." she told him.

"So then we don't need to discuss it any further?" he asked. He only wanted to make sure he heard her right.

"Exactly. Now we just let it flow, until we get to that certain part, if you know what I mean. Then we have to stop for a little." she said to him.

"Then I did hear you right. Yeah, because we'll need to use protection." he said.

Jean looked at him. "Yes, of course."

The young couple smiled at each other. Jean then moved closer to Scott and soon their lips met in a deep, passionate kiss. Their tongues danced together and they both felt sensual chills running through their bodies. As he pulled her onto his lap, so that she was straddling him, the kiss deepened even more. Their hands wandered all over, his traveled up her back and hers moved down his chest.

They made out for minutes at a time before the clothes slowly came off. Once they were completely naked they began to fool around. They went down on and even manually stimulated each other. Jean allowed Scott to climax and he had done the same with her. They figured that they could mess around more until they got all excited again. Which they did in what seemed like no time at all. But before anything got more heated Jean looked over to her door and telekinetically locked it. She then turned back to Scott who was preparing to open a condom wrapper. She gave him a sultry smile.

He looked at her, deep into her eyes. " Are you sure you want to do this baby, because we don't have to?"

"I've never been more sure." she told him.

He looked at her. "Do you want to do the honors?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter." she said. After he opened the wrapper she took the rubber from him and placed it over his erection.

In moments Jean was lying down on the bed and Scott was overtop of her. They kissed for a bit before he slowly and gently slipped inside her. He didn't push in the whole way for he didn't want to hurt her. They stared at each other and he could tell it hurt. She winced a bit.

"Are you okay?" he asked being a gentlemen and he stopped.

"Yes honey, it does hurt but that's expected, considering that I've never had sex." she answered.

Jean told Scott to keep going and minutes later it no longer hurt and Scott had entered her fully. They had really gotten into it and he was moving faster and faster. They were both making sounds of pure ecstacy. But he would gradually slow down because he didn't want it to end too quickly. If he kept on speeding up he knew it would have.

After about two hours (they had stopped here and there to do other things) he was once again going at top speed, but this time he knew she was completely satisfied so he kept on moving. She had began to move with him, as she had done throughout their lovemaking. Their hot, sweaty bodies were as one. He was deeply inside her causing her to finally reach her highest peak. She released a loud moan of pleasure as she climaxed. So many sensations she never thought she could feel surged through her body. Soon after her, he climaxed and experienced similar sensations. He then collapsed on top of her. They were both breathing heavily as they shared a warm, passionate kiss.

Jean and Scott laid there cuddling with him still over her. His head rested between her breast and her chin. They slowly caught their breath and ended up falling asleep in one another's arms completely fulfilled and exhausted.

* * *

Meanwhile, Xavier had just returned from taking care of some busines. But now it's not only going to be his business, he knew he had to get Logan and X23 to come to his study. He had some extremely important news to share with the both of them. He wasn't too sure how either individual would take the news but still it had to be told.

Once the Professor was in his study he sat behind his desk contemplating about how exactly he would break this news. After about ten minutes he telepathically summoned Logan and X23 to his study. They both came in wondering what was going on.

"Logan, would you mind closing the door? This is only between us three for now." Professor X stated.

Logan shut the door and he and X23 headed over to Xavier's desk. He motioned for them both to take a seat. Logan was the first to obey but X23 stood there for a few moments not sure of what to do. Finally after Logan assured her that everything was going to be okay no matter what the Professor was going to tell them, she sat down in the chair beside him.

"Alright, what I'm about to share with you both isn't bad news. In my opinion it's pretty good. Although, a part of it could be bad, if not taken care of." Xavier started.

"Just get to the point, Chuck." Logan said, he wasn't ever one for patience.

"Well, firstly, I'll inform you that I had meet up with Nick Fury and he had found out some very important information for you both." the Professor said.

"Yeah, what? He's not always good news." Logan said gruffly.

X23 just sat there for the time being. She wasn't sure what was about to be said but she agreed with Logan. There was no need to even ask her of her opinion for the look on her face gave the answer.

"He's on your side. Logan, you do know your true identity, am I correct?"

"Yeah, I found out my real name is James Howlett back when I was working with SHIELD. I just haven't chosen to go by that name ever since I was with them."

"I thought so. You don't have to go by your entire real name but some of this may persuade you to at least take on the last name. Fury says that Weapon X is never going to give up on getting X23 back. . . "

X23 jumped in. "I knew it! I'll never have a real life. They'll never leave me be, unless I'm dead. I'm not going back! Ever." she was angry and she even appeared to be a tad bit scared.

"Listen, dear, they will not get you back. You didn't allow me to finish." Xavier started.

"Okay, what were you going to say then?" she said with her mood not changing much.

"Fury said that (with his and my help) Logan can adopt you. Once you're in our custody Weapon X can't touch you." the Professor said.

"Really? Logan will be able to make me his daughter?" X23 said, her mood changed some and she appeared she was happy.

"Yes, technically you are pretty much his daughter anyway." Professor X told her.

"That would be great, but I don't think I'd be eligable to adopt." Logan said.

"That's why Fury and I will be helping you. And we can prove you're the perfect person to adopt her. We have it all planned out and I'll discuss that further, this is why you may want to take on the last name because it will help with the adoption." Professor X stated.

"Why the hell not. It would be nice to have a last name. But I will keep 'Logan' as my first name." Logan said to him.

"That's fine, everyone here knows you by Logan." Xavier said not wanting to pressure him.

"So this means I'd be 'Logan Howlett'? Sure sounds funny." Logan said with an odd expression upon his face.

"Yes, if that's what you want." Professor X said still not wanting to put any pressure on him.

"Yeah, I guess so." Logan said back.

The room was silent for a few moments. Logan and X23 sat there thinking over everything they had just been told. They both seemed to be pleased with the news.

"So, once Logan adopts me I'll have Howlett as my last name?" X23 asked.

"Yes, and you can pick out a first name that you think would fit." Xavier said to her.

"Hmmm, do I even have a first name?" she asked.

"Not really, although, Fury said he found out that Laura is what Dr. Riseman called you when the guards weren't around. I suppose she hoped that one day you'd be free of Weapon X. But you are very welcome to pick any name you'd like. I can find a list of girls' names for you." he said smiling.

"This will be tough . . . but it would feel great to go by a real name, not just an experiment name." she said not knowing what to truly think or feel at that moment.

"When I give you a list you can take your time. And also, Fury said that some people refered to you as Talon because of your claws. You may or may not go back that codename." The Professor explained.

X23 sure had a lot to think about. She had never felt so wanted in her life. _"These people are amazing."_ she thought.

Professor Xavier just smiled at her. She was going to be a huge handful due to the fact that she's pretty much a younger, female version of Wolverine. But he knew they'd make it work. Her rough edges, within time, would be filed down some just as Logan's were. And now she will definitely have a real family.

**_Note: Well, that was chapter 7!! Sorry for the extremely long wait but I've been having computer problems. It freezes a lot and I need to try to get a new one, as soon as I'm able to. But I'll try to keep updated as much as possible. Sorry the sex scene was kind of short and not in much detail, I didn't want to get into trouble. I'm sure ya'all can relate._**

**_The next chapter will discuss more on X23 being adopted, along with the other characters. Sorry this chapter was so short too. I'll try to make the next one longer:) Thank you for hanging in:) I can't wait to see what you think:) I hope you enjoy:D_**


	9. Diverse Feelings

**Chapter Eight**

School was done for the weekend and the halls were filled with students as Kitty, Rogue and Kurt walked together. Most of the others from the mansion were walking home and had already left. Only Tabitha and Amara were left out of the younger ones and they made their way over to Kitty, Rogue and Kurt.

"Hey! Are you all walking?" Tabitha shouted to them as her and Amara ran towards them.

Kitty looked at them. "Well, Kurt and I are walking . . . Rogue is taking her bike."

"Unless anyone wants to come with me?" Rogue asked figuring no one would dare to.

"I don't think so. I've seen how crazy you are." said Amara with a grin.

Tabitha and Kurt both agreed with Amara. Kitty did too for she knew how Rogue rode, she could get really wild.

Rogue couldn't help but grin herself. She knew definitely knew they were right. "If someone wants to go with me I won't be crazy, I promise. So if anyone has enough guts you are more then welcome." she said.

Kitty was deep in thought for a moment. "Okay, you guys can go ahead. I'll go with Rogue."

"You are so brave." Tabitha joked.

"Shut up." Rogue said trying to joke.

They all said goodbye for now. Tabitha, Amara and Kurt all headed off together on foot while Kitty used Rogue's extra helmet and rode with her. Once Rogue started her bike they were off in seconds, passing up the others.

Kurt looked over at the girls. "She thinks she can beat us home."

"Um, Kurt, she probably can. They're on a motorbike and we're walking." Amara said not thinking.

"Yeah, but I can teleport. Remember?" he said smiling.

Both girls smiled back. Kurt then took their hands and they were gone and outside of the mansion gates in a second or two. He then took them right outside the mansion doors and they walked inside.

Fifteen minutes later Rogue and Kitty arrived. Rogue took her bike into the garage and the girls went into the institute. They both thought they had beat the other three home until they went to the rec room.

"What?!" Rogue said and then she put her hands on her hips. "Never mind. I know how ya'all got here before us. Ya teleported didn't ya fuzzball?"

"Yep." Kurt said smiling.

"You are pathetic." she said smiling, which wasn't something she did a lot but she had done it more since she's been able to touch. "I'm goin' upstairs. I'm so tired."

"Okay, see you later." Kitty said as she went to join the others.

Kurt, Tabitha and Amara said they'd see her later too. Rogue then left the rec room and walked up the stairs towards hers and Kitty's room. When she was about at the doorway someone came up behind her but this time she could somehow sense the presence of that person. She had not one single doubt to who it was and she spun around.

"Dammit Gambit! Why do ya always have to sneak up on me?" she said slightly annoyed.

"Sorry _cherie_, Remy can't resist." Gambit said and his eyes wandered up and down her body.

"Well it's gettin' old and I'm startin' to be able to know it's you. No one else does that to me." she said.

His eyes were now locked on hers and she couldn't help but stare back. They were only a couple of feet apart until he moved closer. She just walked backwards to try and avoid what was about to happen but she only backed herself against the wall. That didn't stop him, he kept moving closer until he was right in front of her. The whole time they never broke their gaze. He was about to kiss her when someone's footsteps caused them to move away from one another.

It was Jean and she definitely looked happy. "Hey, how was school?" she asked Rogue.

"Uh, okay." Rogue said still trying to completely snap out of the trance she seemed to be in. "How was your day?"

"Oh, it was great." Jean told her smiling.

Remy was grinning for he knew why she was so happy. "So you and Scott . . . had a good time?"

"I guess you could say that. Well, I only wanted to say hi and see how your day was. Dinner will be being made soon and I've been helping Ororo. so I'll see you both later." Jean said to them.

Rogue and Remy both said goodbye and Jean headed off downstairs leaving Rogue and Remy alone again. Remy looked back over to Rogue and he grabbed her hand.

"Wanna go t' my room for a bit?" he asked.

"I don't think so Swamp Rat. I know what you're up to." she said but she didn't pull her hand away.

"No, no, Remy jus' wanna talk an' hang out. dat's all." he said back. She gazed deeply into his eyes and he appeared to be sincere.

"Fine, but anything too funny and I'm outta there." she told him, trying to hold her ground some.

"If I cross de line too far jus' let me know." he said and he squeezed her hand gently.

"Believe me, I'll let ya know." she said grinning.

The two then walked down the hall towards the boys' dormatories. Soon they were right outside his room and they entered. He closed the door but not all of the way. Once inside he walked over and sat down on a soft armchair sitting in a corner by the window. He motioned for Rogue to come over. She slowly walked towards him thinking whether she'd sit on the arm of the chair or his lap. She decided to do some of her own playing around and she chose to sit down on his lap.

"So, what do ya wanna talk about?" she asked in a sultry tone and gazing into his intriguing eyes.

"Anyt'ing your heart desires _mon cherie_." he said to her in a husky voice, staring back into her eyes.

"I'm not your _cherie_." she protested but she didn't sound offended.

"Why do you play so hard to get? Remy knows how badly you wanna jump 'im." he said, then he thought _"Damn you, Remy. You definitely crossed de line."_

"Is that all ya think about?" Rogue said but to his surprise she didn't look as if she were going to kill him.

However, she did stand up to make it look like she was upset. She pretended as though she were about to walk out of his room when he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down onto his lap. Her back was facing him and she was struggling to free herself. This movement was what she was hoping for and it excited her.

"Sorry, I shouldn't 'ave said dat. I jus' can't control myself sometimes." Remy apologized, thinking he had blew it again.

"Let - me - go." she said squirming in his grip but he only held her tighter and closer and she was beginning to feel extremely pleased.

"Rogue, I said I'm sorry. What else can I say?" he said not knowing this was all part of a game.

"Nothin'." she said but instead of fighting him she turned herself around and sat on his lap, straddling him.

They were once again staring into each others eyes. He placed his hands over her hips, not really too sure what to think or do. She was beating him at his own game.

So many emotions and sensations were racing throughout her body, and his as well. Before he knew it her lips were on his and they were in a deep, passionate kiss. Remy was still in shock even as she began to grind herself against him. Soon he was getting into it and he thrust his hips upward causing her to moan, a slight grin spread across his face as they remained kissing. _"I still got it"_ he thought. In moments his lips traveled from hers down to her neck. Her body was burning with desire as he licked, kissed and sucked the soft skin of her neck. His hands rested on her hips and hers were on his muscular chest. She began to grind herself against him again sending chills of pleasure throughout each of them. Now they were both breathing heavy and getting turned on. She then brought his face up so she could kiss him on the lips again. They kissed a bit but then she broke it and kissed down his jawline and to his neck. There she did what he had done to her. She then unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it over on both sides so that she saw his bare chest. Shortly afterwards, she was back to kissing him but this time it was his chest. He slid his hand up the back of her shirt caressing her bare skin beneath. Their makeout session was getting more and more heated. Until . . .

Out of nowhere Logan appeared in Remy's doorway. "What the hell is goin' on here?!"

Rogue jumped off of Remy. "Nothin' Logan. We . . . " she was cut off.

"It sure didn't look like nothing." Logan said gruffly.

He then walked towards Remy, who was still sitting on the chair. Remy just stood up and he didn't even try to run. Why would he run anyway? He was no coward.

"Wolverine, I can explain." he said.

"Yeah, well explain it to these, Cajun." Logan's claws extended from between his knuckles.

Rogue ran in between the two. "Logan! Leave him alone. What is your problem? Why do ya always have to attack him? He's not the only one at fault here. It's not like he forced me to do that, I let him. And . . . I was the one who started it."

Logan claws slid back into his hands. "What? You allowed him to be all over ya like that? You made the move on him?"

"He wasn't all over me."

"It sure looked like he was when I came down the hall." Logan said to her in disbelief.

"Well, it was more the other way around. B'sides, it's really none of your business so never you mind." she said harshly.

"Really. Well you're right, who am I to tell you what to do? If ya wanna mess up your life then go right ahead. I won't stand in the way anymore." with that Logan left and he slammed the door behind him.

Rogue and Remy looked at each other with worried expressions. They both thought Logan finally had accepted Remy. Well, he did but when it came to Rogue, Logan would always be protective. Even though he said he'd try not to he couldn't stand the thought that she might get used or hurt.

"Maybe we should jus' go downstairs." Remy said.

"Yeah, dinner'll probably be ready soon anyways." Rogue said back.

They left Remy's room and as they made their way downstairs Remy grabbed Rogue's hand and locked his fingers with hers. She looked at him and they smiled at one another. When they did get downstairs they saw Logan in the rec room sitting on a couch and he looked kind of distant.

Rogue looked at Remy. "Look, I think I had better go and talk to him. I'll be out there in a few minutes or so."

Remy agreed and they parted. Rogue walked over and sat down beside Logan. He wouldn't even look at her.

"Logan, are ya gonna give me the silent treatment or are ya gonna talk to me? I'm sorry, I just thought ya weren't goin' to do that again." she said.

It was quiet for a bit but then he spoke. "Rogue, I've accepted Gambit as a team member but I still don't trust him with you."

"I'm not going to f-ck him if that's what you're thinkin'." she told him.

"Don't be so sure that ya won't Stripes. If I hadn't caught you who knows what may have happened." he stated.

"I'm not like that. We were making out, that's all." she said.

"Well, you were right though, it is none of my business. It's your decision so whatever you do I won't stand in the way any longer. But mark my words, if he ever hurts you he will be sorry." he said looking at her with a stern expression that said he meant business.

"I'm not ready to have sex, Logan. I'd have to be his girlfriend in order to do that. And that may not happen." she said looking into his eyes. But at the last line there was a bit of hurt in her eyes. She meant that she wanted to be his girlfriend (someday), whether she could believe it or not, but given his lifestyle they may never be together as girlfriend/boyfriend.

"Whatever happens, either way, it's your call." he said back trying to stay calm and allow her to make her own choices, good or bad. "I still don't like it though." he added gruffly.

Rogue knew that it couldn't get any better but she hugged him anyway and he returned the move. She loved him and she knew he loved her but he was, at times, way too overprotective of her. Sometimes she was glad of it but times like this she wished he wouldn't be.

Soon everyone had dinner and Professor X decided to share the news with them about Logan and X23. They all thought it would be great for the both of them. Afterwards they all went off to do their own thing. Jean and Scott went out for a walk. Rogue and Remy went outside, but stayed on the mansion's grounds, so they could just get away to themselves to talk. Kitty and Kurt, along with some of the other students, hung out in the rec room. Hank was keeping an eye on some of the students to make sure they didn't get into trouble, as they usually wind up doing. Logan was in the kitchen at this moment just waiting for the time to pass. He was to speak to the Professor soon. X23 was to be present for the meeting as well, considering it was more information on the adoption.

Ororo entered the kitchen and noticed Logan staring into space. "Is everything okay?" she said and she took a seat across from him.

Logan gazed at her for a brief moment then he said, "Yep, it's just that there's a lot on my mind now. Ya know, with this trial thing and all. I guess I'm a bit nervous. Yeah, I said it . . . I'm a litttle nervous."

"You'll do fine, I have no doubts. And it's only normal to feel nervous about something like this, even though you're only slightly nervous. For you, that's unusual but it will turn out well." she told him.

"You're probably right. But, am I really cut out to be a father?" he said searching her eyes for an answer.

"I think you are, and obviously Charles does, and even Nick Fury. You are great with the students, sometimes a little too strict, but you definitely mean well." she said smiling.

"True. I'm sure I'll feel better when I find out when the trial is and after it's all done." he stated with a slight smile.

"You more than likely will." she said still smiling. "I was wondering, are you going to be busy after you talk with the Professor?"

"No, why? Ya wanna take another spin on my bike with me?" he said with a wicked, playful grin.

"Maybe. Just as long as I get to spend some time with you, I'll be happy." she said smiling back at him.

"Wait for me in the family room." he told her.

"Sure." she said.

Logan then got up because it was time for him to go see Xavier. But before he left the kitchen he leaned down to kiss Ororo. It wasn't just a peck on the lips but, considering where they were, it wasn't too deep. They smiled at one another then he left the room to go to his meeting with Professor X.

When Logan arrived to the Professor's study X23 was already there, she was seated in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Xavier motioned for Logan to come over and take a seat too. Once he sat down Professor X looked from him to X23.

"Well, Fury had faxed me a form for the adoption. It is an endorsement paper in which he had made out and signed himself. Now the judge knows him already and so does the lawyer, Lee Stan, that I have hired to take on this hearing. This will only be one hearing and it's set for this Monday at 9:00AM. The only ones who have to attend for sure is you, Logan, and Mr. Stan. However, if you would like to go then you may." he explained, looking at X23 on his last statement.

"So this is no biggie at all?" Logan said feeling a load of pressure lift from his chest.

"No, it isn't. Oh, by the way, X23, have you chosen a name yet? It may be good that if you haven't to try before Monday, that way it can be your legal name." Professor Xavier stated.

X23 thought for a moment. Xavier had given her a huge list of names to choose from, although, after going over them time and time again she found that none of those seemed to work for her. So then she decided that if Dr. Riseman referred to her as Laura when no one else was around then Laura it was. She did like the name, for some reason. Maybe because it was much better than being called X23. She looked over at the Professor. "Yes, I have chosen a name, Professor. I have given it a lot of thought but I've decided to go with . . . wiith, Laura." she had a bit of difficulty in saying it but she finally got it out.

"Very well, I didn't think you'd choose that particular name." Xavier said.

"Um, I like it." she said and she looked quite satisfied with it.

"Alright then, Laura it is. No one will be calling you X23 anymore. Although, it may take some time for some of us to get used to the change." Professor X said.

"Yeah kid, just don't hurt anyone for callin' ya X23." Logan said but he was trying to joke.

Laura looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Why would I hurt anyone here, you're all my family now?" she said quite confused.

"I was just playin' with you." Logan told her.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I'm not used to people joking and all." she told him and a slight smile played over her lips.

Xavier laughed. "Well get used to it because you'll get a lot of that here. Usually Logan isn't the joking type, though every now and then he throws something out there."

They three talked a bit more, mainly going over things about he trial. Laura appeared to be much happier than she had been when she first arrived at the institute. Mostly due to the fact that she actually felt she belonged somewhere and she now had a family, a real name and after Monday she'll have a legal father. Perhaps someday even a mother - considering how close Ororo and Logan are getting. Even she noticed their closeness.

Soon the meeting was over and Logan and Laura left the study. She gazed at him before they parted. He had no idea why she looked at him that way, she didn't really either. All he could do was grin and pat her on the head. This whole father thing was something difficult but he'd eventually become more open and less awkward. She also felt a lot of the same feelings he was feeling. Having a father was going to be odd but she too knew that she'd get used to it. Afterall, she was slowing feeling more confortable living at the institute.

"What?" he finally asked, only wondering why she was staring at him.

"Nothing . . . I guess I'm just a little excited, that's all. And soon you'll be my father." she said smiling.

"Technically I already am." he told her.

"Well, yeah, but after Monday morning it'll be legal." she said and she looked like she was truly happy.

Logan couldn't help but smile. So many emotions were taking over his body lately that he never even thought existed. He has proved that anyone is capable of love, any kind of love. He just has to learn how to express himself more, which he will in time.

* * *

Jean and Scott had returned from their walk. It seemed to them that their intimate moment earlier that day had brought them much closer, if that's even possible. Now they have connected with each other on every level.

"That was very nice." Scott told her as they were about to go inside, holding hands.

"Yeah, and it's such a beautiful evening." Jean said back to him. Before they entered the mansion they shared a long, passionate kiss, not caring too much if anyone saw them.

Soon after they went in and decided they'd head upstairs to get ready for bed. It was kind of late in the evening and they were tired. They said goodnight to everyone they got a chance to say it to. Then in no time they were ready to go to bed. They decided they didn't want to sleep alone and were going to spend the night in Jean's room.

Since the both of them were ready now (well all he did was strip down to his boxes) they crawled into bed together and snuggled up under the covers. She lay beside him with her head on his shoulder, her right arm over his stomach and her hand was on chest. His left arm was around her shoulders and he placed his other hand on her arm and he caressed it.

"Scott." Jean said softly.

"Yeah." he said back just as soft.

"Now that we've been spending nights together I'm finding it hard to sleep without you." she told him.

"I know what you mean. Odd, huh?" he replied.

"Kinda, but I guess it's just that we're getting even more close. We have come a long way." she said.

"We sure have, honey." he said back with a smile.

They both felt sleepy and they knew they'd be out soon. Even though they talked a little more they quickly decided it would be best to stop and try to sleep. However, there was one thing they simply had to do first - kiss goodnight.

"I love you . . . goodnight." Jean told him.

"Same to you, baby." he said.

The young couple then kissed for a few seconds or so and soon they lay there wrapped up in each others arms. In no time they were asleep. Both with smiles upon their faces.

* * *

Minutes later, Rogue and Remy came inside. They had spent a couple of hours sitting outside talking about numerous things. Remy hadn't said one thing stupid either so he was quite proud of himself. Usually he winds up saying something and he pisses Rogue off greatly.

When they were out there they had kissed off and on and even made out some. They're getting closer, although, she was still not going to make it all easy for him. She wasn't ready to go all the way and she left him know that quite a few times already. She would like to someday, if all turns out for the best but not until they became an actual couple. And she would want to be with him a good while before giving her all to him. Remy knew he wanted her, in many ways: sexually, of course, but he also wanted her emotionally. Odd for him, he hasn't really wanted more than a one-night-stand. However, he would not lie, when he first saw Rogue, even now sometimes, he only thinks of having sex with her. But she's not like that and he understands. He, by far, doesn't push women and he'd never push her or pressure her. Sadly, he still can't tell her how he feels. He only hopes that maybe she'll pick up on some of it. She couldn't find a way to tell him either. She, too, hoped he'd catch some of her own signals. Although both were usually somewhat subtle. The problem was that they both kept their deepest emotions to themselves, maybe because they were simply unable to express them in words or because they we're still in a bit of denile of their feelings or it could be both. They were unsure. And it didn't help that neither of them trusted easily. It was certain that they were getting a lot closer, no doubt about that.

"So _cherie_, what now?" Remy asked her once they were inside, hand-in-hand, and about to walk up the stairs. He was waiting for her to say "I'm not your _cherie_."

"I s'pose we go our separate ways and get ready for bed." Rogue told him, they were staring into one another's eyes. To his surprise she made no comment on it, but even when she does it anymore it's not as negative.

"Really? Dis early? You know, it is a weekend?" he said a bit shocked.

"Yeah, and it was a long day. I'm kinda tired." she told him. "I'm not sayin' that you can't do whatever ya wanna do." she added.

"Remy was jus' hopin' dat maybe you'd wanna stay up wit' him for a bit." he said hopefully.

"Well . . . maybe just a little bit." she told him.

A grin swept over his lips but their eyes still didn't break away from the gaze. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. She didn't fight it, instead she snaked her arms up and around his neck. Shortly, their lips met and they kissed for moments at a time. Her hands were raking through his hair and his were caressing her sides ever so often.

After they had kissed a bit she decided to break it and he looked at her feeling confused, wondering why she had pulled her lips away from his own. But he wasn't in the dark too long for she jumped up on him, with her arms still around his neck, and wrapped her legs around his hips. He smirked at her and a flirtatious grin played upon her lips. He decided to take this upstairs so he carried her to his room. This time, once they were inside he shut the door all the way. He knew this wouldn't go too far but he didn't care. Oddly, he found this so much better than going out and screwing some trashy girl. Although, he knew he'd probably have to pleasure himself after she left his room, if she even did leave. Whichever, he'd have to do something. Or maybe she'd give him a hand, literally.

With her still wrapped around him they began kissing very passionately. She was beginning to feel that strange warm, tingly feeling in her lower stomach and between her thighs but she didn't hold back. He was also starting to feel strange, the only difference was that he knew exactly what the feeling was. And he had a feeling she'd soon know.

Remy moved over to his bed and sat down on the edge because he wasn't sure he could stay on his feet with the was he felt now. He felt as though is knees would buckle at any minute, not because of her. Rogue kept herself wrapped around him, only she was moreless straddling him. They hadn't stopped kissing yet, it had deepened and she moaned softly into his mouth which sent chills up and down his spine.

In a few minutes they pulled away from their kiss, panting, and stared deeply into one anothers eyes. Rogue's hands now wandered down to his chest and she undid his shirt to reveal his sexy, toned chest and stomach. She ran her fingers down and then back up a few times. He took the shirt off and threw it to the floor. He figured that there was nothing wrong with him being shirtless. They then began to kiss again.

Soon her lips were on his neck and traveling down to his chest. As she did this he closed his eyes and a slight moan slipped from his mouth. When she heard it she stopped and looked at him, his eyes were still closed until he realized her lips weren't on him any longer. He opened them to see her own eyes gazing into his. He kissed her on the lips and then moved his lips to her neck. He wanted so badly to go further and kiss her breast but he didn't want to get pushy. Somehow Rogue could sense what he was feeling, maybe because she actually wanted him to go a bit further, for she lifted her shirt up and over her head. Underneath she was wearing a black bra. Remy looked into her eyes as if searching for something. She just grinned at him which caused him to smirk. He glanced away for a moment so he could have a good look at her cleavage. Her breast weren't huge but they definitely were a good size. He finally looked back into her eyes and she gave him an expression that said "go ahead" so he did. First, he reached over and, through her bra, cupped his hands over her breast. He gently squeezed them and she moaned. The slightest touch from him could get her going. He played around for a little and then he planted his lips on the soft skin between her neck and breast and kissed it. He was gentle but it was kind of a hungry kiss. His hands wandered over her body, his left moved down her back to her hip and his other hand went back to her breast. He squeezed softly as he kept kissing and sucking that same area. She was letting out small moans that completely drove him insane. And her fingers were in his hair and she started grinding on him. He groaned slightly through the kisses he placed on her neck and cleavage.

After a few more minutes of heavy making out they both looked at each other again. He wanted so much to keep going but he knew she wasn't ready. He could tell from the look in her eyes. He thought for a bit before he spoke, he wanted to make sure he didn't say anything to upset her.

Still breathing heavily he asked, "Do you wanna jus' stop b'fore it gets too far?"

No harm in that line. Although, he could hardly believe what he had said. It was true though, he didn't want her to feel she had to go all the way and, somehow for her, he _would_ stop. He never cared much before as long as he got laid. He now has no doubt that he has deep feelings for Rogue, or he could have his way given how turned on they both are. _"I can't do dat t' her."_ he thought.

She had to think now. She knew she didn't want to have sex yet but she wasn't sure if she could _just stop_ after how much making out they had done. They've gotten pretty far and she could tell he was very much turned on. She also knew she was. Finally she spoke, "Remy, I don't know if I can . . . I mean, you're really hard now. I wouldn't feel right if I left ya hang."

"Yeah but are you ready? An' we both have hands, non, so we could very well jus' leave each other an' help ourselves. But to be honest wit' you, cherie . . . " he said pausing for a moment, "I'm quite tempted to jus' take you here an' now."

She stared at him for a bit. He was now thinking he had messed up. He cursed himself mentally. But to his surprise she didn't get angry or even scowl at him. "No, I'm not ready to have sex, I can't go that far yet." she told him. Then there was silence for a moment and then she added, "But I was thinkin' more along the lines of us helpin' one another. There's more than one way, sugar." she said winking at him at the end.

"You don't care dat we're not together? Remy doesn't. Hell, I'd f-ck you if you left me - as you already know." he said and he thought _"I'm too straight-forward"_.

"It's nothin' major. True, we're not 'together, together' but we both need help. I'm not sure we can completely get rid of this by pleasurin' ourselves. Maybe I could but I'm not sure 'bout you. Oh, I know ya would _if_ I allowed ya." she said with a sulty grin after the last two sentences.

Remy smirked even more than ever that night. "So, you're sayin' dat we're gonna do somethin'?" he asked. and oddly enough, he didn't really care if they only "fooled around" or if they went all the way. He was happy to be able to be doing something with her though.

"Yeah, of course, it was both of us who caused this." she said. "Are ya sure you'll be able to handle not bangin' me?" she added jokingly and also knowing how he is.

"Remy'll be fine, as long as you make 'im feel good. You'll definitely be feelin' good when it's over." he said in a husky voice and a smirk spread over his face.

"Mmmm, ya won't be sorry." she purred. _"An' I know I won't be either."_ she thought.

They stared at one another for a little bit then began kissing again. Within a short period of time Remy moved further to the middle of the bed. He felt so strangely and he really couldn't explain it. He was thinking that even if they'd just lay there and not do anything else but talk he'd be fine. No matter how hard he was and how much he was going crazy right now. _"I can't believe it but I really t'ink I'm fallin' in love."_ he thought

"So, you're really sure 'bout dis, _cherie_?" he said and he still couldn't believe he would do nothing if she wasn't truly certain.

"I'm sure, Swamp Rat, it's not like we're goin' to actually f-ck. Now just lay there and let me do it b'fore I change my mind." she said playfully as she crawled over top of him and straddled him again.

So he laid back and allowed her to take over. This was the first time she had given manual/oral sex so she was a little nervous. She didn't want him to know she was nervous though so she went with the flow. She undid his pants and pulled them down but she had to take off his shoes before she coud take them off. She also took her own shoes off. Once she had his pants off she placed them on the floor. Then she pulled down his boxers, but left them on. He was watching her, she could feel his eyes on her and she looked up. He could sense her nervousness.

"You'll do fine, _mon amour_. Remy has faith in you." he told her grinning.

Rogue smiled at him then placed her hand over his erection. She began to slide it up and down which made him moan a bit. He had never reacted this way with any other woman and just the touch of her hand on him, anywhere, made him shiver. She soon moved her hand up and down faster and faster and it wasn't long before she decided to go down on him. So now she was using her hand and her mouth to pleasure him. He was letting out moans of pleasure and it drove her crazy. She didn't know she'd get that big of a reaction from him. His eyes were now closed and he moaned more as she moved faster. He had placed his right hand on her head, his fingers tangled in her hair, and his left hand grasped at the bed covers.

In about three minutes Remy spoke but it was more of a moan. "Rogue, I'm gonna cum." he wanted to let her know incase she wanted to finish with her hand but she didn't pull back.

He looked at her oddly because most girls wouldn't have stayed there after that warning. She had thought about moving back but decided to just try it. Besides, it would be messy if it got all over the place. So she kept on with the steady rythm until he climaxed. She then pulled back with a strange expression on her face. It didn't look as if she were grossed out but it also didn't look like it was altogether pleasant.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah. It just happened so fast I almost choked." she said and then she laughed. "Damn, it was like someone stuck a water gun nuzzle into my mouth and squirted it." she joked. Of course she had exaggerated some.

Remy laughed. " Dat's a dif'rent way of describin' it."

He moved so he could pull up his boxers and they switched places so that he was on top. They smiled at one another for a bit. He still couldn't get over how well she did. Well, it wasn't exactly rocket science. But considering how he really felt for her she probably could have done horribly and he'd have loved it just the same.

He glanced at her and the looked down the waistband of her pants. She nodded and shortly afterwards he removed her pants. He thought he'd leave her panties on since they weren't much at all. He looked up at her and she gave him the "go on" look so he did. She was so wet so he knew it should go smoothly. First he played around with her opening with his fingers, his left hand held her panties off to the side, and then his tongue. Soon he was licking and sucking her sensitive area causing her to moan louder than he had imagined she would. And when he eventually took turns using his finger and tongue inside her and she moaned louder. Then he decided he'd rub her with his finger and stick his tongue in her then switch with placing his finger insider and licking where it had been. That caused her to almost scream and it sounded as if they _were_ having sex_. "Holy sh-t, and I'm not even f-ckin' her. I hope Logan doesn't hear this. Who cares if he does."_ he thought. But he loved how she sounded and reacted and her hands had moved down her body and rested on his head with her fingers, gently, clutching at his hair every so often.

He was right though, it went quite smoothly and didn't take her too long to reach her climax. Within seconds she released. She had never felt anything like that before. Not even alone for she's never even done anything to herself yet. She thought it was amazing.

Soon he was over top of her and they shared a long, passionate kiss. When the kiss broke they gazed deeply into each others eyes, as they've done many times that night. They both appeared to be happy.

"You feel better, _cherie_?" he asked.

"_Oui_. How 'bout you?" she replied, breathing heavily. She thought she'd use some French herself.

He smirked at her then he said, "Oh of course I feel better."

Rogue and Remy kissed again. And then they laid out on his bed in one anothers arms with her slightly on top of him. All he was wearing was his boxers and she had was still in just her bra and underwear. Neither of them took much notice to this now for they were quite tired. They did cover up though and had talked for a long time. Shortly they both fell asleep, still holding on to each other. Rogue actually had a slight smile over her lips and Remy had a bit of a grin still on his. But that was nothing new with him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Logan had already met up with Ororo hours ago and they went out for a while. Now they were getting in and it was kind of late, around midnight. Neither of them wanted their time together to end.

"You sure know how to treat a woman." she said to him, with a smile, once they were in the foyer.

"Yep I do. There's really nothin' to it." he said in his usual gruff tone but not as harsh.

"I still can't get over how different you are, how gentle and romantic you can be. It's a side of you that I never thought I'd see." she told him still smiling.

"It's a side of me _I_ never thought _I_ would see." he joked and they both laughed.

They then shared a warm kiss that lasted a couple of minutes, holding one another close and neither of them wanted to part. They felt they could stay that way forever.

"I guess it's goodnight." he said.

"Unless you want to go into the rec room so we can talk more. It should be empty." she suggested.

"Yeah and with that in mind, do ya wanna get it on?" he said jokingly with a wink as he pointed in the direction of the rec room.

Ororo smacked him on the arm playfully. "Maybe some other night." she joked back.

Logan smiled. "You ain't that kinda girl though, or are ya? And if we did you'd be up _all_ night." he winked again.

She smiled back. "No, I'm not. But at least that would be a good reason stay up." she replied going along with his joke. _"It's better than being awake merely because I'm afraid to go to sleep." _she thought.

"Ya better believe it." he said but he noticed a slight difference in her. He didn't know what she had thought but she all of a sudden had this look of pain in her eyes and they were brimmed with tears. "Is everything ok, hon." he asked with a worried expression.

"Okay?" she questioned him not understanding why he had asked her that, and then it dawned on her, _"He can somehow sense that my mood has changed". _"Oh yes, I'm fine." she lied.

Her dreams had gotten worse lately and it wasn't just about her past and her claustrophobia anymore. She was also having nightmares about the time Apocalypse used her as one of his horsemen. She would dream that she was under his control again and that she was attempting to murder the people she loved and held so dear. Under his command or not it was very terrible. Although, before she had done anything too bad in her dream she'd wake up because she, apparently, was screaming and Logan or someone would be there to comfort her. Usually it was Logan, he could pick up on the slightest whimper. But so could Laura, and even Hank if her was near enough. She hasn't let on to anyone yet that her dreams were getting this bad. She has told Professor Xavier that they had worsened but she hadn't told him everything. And being the person he is, even though he could sense quite greatly that there was more than she was letting on, he didn't pry any further.

The two walked into the rec room and sat closely beside each other on the couch. Logan grabbed Ororo's hand with one hand and used his other hand to caress the back hers. "I don't really think you are. I saw your eyes go from a happy sparkle to almost tears. What's up?"

"Logan, it's nothing, really. My nightmares are getting worse, that's all, and I feel more and more closed in." Ororo said, holding back on the worst part.

"But that's nothin' new." Logan pressed on, he knew for some reason that she wasn't telling him everything. "Look, ya know you can tell me anything. I won't judge you."

"I can't, not yet." she told him.

"Come on, you can't just shut me out here." he said feeling upset and he had slightly raised his voice. He loved her very much but there was no way he'd give in without a fight. He really wanted to know what was bothering her with this dream.

She looked somewhat statled. "Logan . . . " she started.

"You told me about your other dreams, why are you so unwilling to tell me about this one?" he asked sounding irritated.

"Please, this isn't like those dreams. It's much, much worse." she tried to explain.

"And that's why you shouldn't keep it from me." he pressed further. He could tell he was upsetting her more than she already was. _"I can be an asshole sometimes."_ he thought. _"Only 'cause I'm worried and I love her."_ he added to his thoughts.

Ororo sat there staring into his eyes, tears still forming in her own. "It's not that I don't _want _to tell you, it's more like I don't know how to."

He didn't think he could push her much more for he couldn't stand seeing her like this. And to think he may have made this worse. So he backed off some. "Well, either way speak with Xavier." he said still sounding upset but he lowered his voice. He knew she needed to talk to someone, and if it wasn't him it should definitely be Xavier. No matter what Professor X had to know what was going on.

"I really should tell him because this is horrible." she agreed. Logan scowled slightly. "Please don't be angry with me. It's only that perhaps Charles will know more about this. He's never failed me before. You should know how well he can handle things like this." she told him and she stroked his right cheek with the back of her right hand, although she still appeared to be emotional. Either by the nightmare, him or both.

"Couldn't ya give me a clue?" he asked, but he had pushed her too far.

She looked at him with a mixture of frustration and sorrow. Tears began to stream down her face. He mentally cursed himself again.

"Sweetheart, it's ok. You can tell me when you're ready then." he said trying to stay calm and accept the fact that she wasn't ready to tell him. He also tried to wipe her tears away, but more kept coming. "And if you're afraid to actually say it maybe he could search your mind. Ya know, you could think hard about this dream of yours and he could see it without you even havin' to say a word. It might be better that way." he suggested, trying to be helpful and definitley trying not to upset her an further.

He hated not knowing what her nightmare was. He also hated having to talk about things he'd sooner forget, so he understood her. But a dream was different, it wouldn't go away without the Professor's help (well neither would horrible memories). And even at that, it wouldn't completely disappear forever.

"I could see about that. It's so hard and I don't know where I'd even start." tears began to stream down her cheeks even more.

He leaned over and kissed her gently but just a peck. As he did so she put her arms around his neck, laying her head upon his shoulder, and his went around her waist. He occasionally stroked her hair, otherwise they sat there with their arms around one another.

She finally looked into his eyes after she let herself go a little. He looked back into her beautiful eyes, which were still watery and now red and puffy. Then he cupped her face, wiped it with his thumbs and kissed her again.

"Oh Logan, I'm not afraid to admit that this nightmare scares the hell out of me." she said.

He looked taken back at what she said. He has rarely heard anything come out of her mouth like that, unless it was something that really got to her. But still it wasn't huge. She's never used anything other than "hell" or "damn" at her worst.

"Everything will be fine, I promise." he said and he began to stroke her hair again as he gazed into her eyes.

"You don't know that." she retorted and he could still see fear and pain in her eyes.

"Well, you're right but I would like to hope it will be. I wish you'd tell me but just promise me one thing . . . that first thing in the morning you'll go and see Xavier. He _needs_ to know. And also, promise me you'll tell me soon." he stated.

"I suppose that would be the best thing to do. I know he already knows something, it's hard to hide things from him." she said. "I will tell you, I promise." she added.

"If ya don't mind, maybe I could go with you." he said.

"Yes, that's it. Then you'll know something of what's going on, given the fact that I may have to discuss it with him." she said feeling a little better though dreading it. Even at that she wondered why she hadn't went to the Professor sooner.The sooner the better. Other than the fact that she was quite scared. She looked at Logan and spoke again, "Can we still talk, but about something else?"

"Of course." he said and he smirked at her, "I'm still open, ya know, if you wanna bang somewhere in this room. There's so many places we could do it." he joked. He had to attempt to cheer her up.

"Logan." she said and she hit him on the arm playfully, just as she did moments ealier. But she was smiling again and that's what he had wanted.

After that they talked about nearly anything they could think of that didn't involve sleeping. At this point Ororo was snuggled up against Logan's chest with her legs up on the couch. She was kind of curled up against him moreless. Soon she slipped off into sleep. Logan didn't know what to do, if they stayed here he'd fall asleep and he didn't want to still be down there by morning. But he didn't want to wake her either.

After contemplating for around five minutes he came to the conclusion that he'd carry her up to her room. But he wasn't going to leave her by herself so he thought he'd just place her in her bed and cover up, then he'd sit on the chair in her room. He's fallen asleep sitting before and any kinks he may wake up with would quickly go away.

Logan carefully picked up Ororo with his left arm around her shoulders and his right arm under her knees. He had placed her right arm around his neck, her head was resting on his shoulder and he placed her left arm across her stomach. He was carrying her upstairs to her room, luckily he didn't run into anyone.

He came upon her room and went in and when he was about to put her down she woke up slightly. "Logan . . . ?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah? I was just placing you into your bed, you fell asleep, darlin'." he said thinking that maybe she was wondering what he was doing.

"Oh, okay." she said still sleepy. He was about to head over to the chair as she grabbed his hand. "No, please stay." she pleaded.

He couldn't argue as she, pretty much, pulled him down with her. In no time at all she was cuddled up to him again and back asleep. He gently kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair as he had already that nihgt, but he laid there awake for at least an hour just watching her and listening to her breath. _"She really is a goddess. She's so gorgeous."_ he thought. Then not too much longer he was asleep too.

* * *

_Well, I hope you enjoyed this:) It took me a little while to do it, but not as long as the last time - lol:) Anyway, I think all is well so hopefully everything sounds good:) And this chapter is longer than the previous one:) Oh and feel free to criticize, as long as you do it kindly - lol:) I will try to work on chapter nine as soon as possible:) Keep looking for it:) I love ya'all and thanks for the reviews:) A special thanks to Slickboy444 for all of the help:D_


	10. Emotive Conflicts

**Chapter Nine**

It was Sunday morning and the institute was as crazy as any day, although if you compare it to school days it wasn't so bad. Mostly everyone was in the kitchen for breakfast. Ororo and Logan were awake early and they had both went downstairs. She got breakfast ready and had helped a good deal. She told him that as soon as she was finished, presuming Professor X was done as well, she'd go to talk with him. She had already told Xavier that she needed to speak to him and he had told her he'd be happy to hear what she had to say. It was apparent that he had a great idea to what she had to discuss with him. Logan had told the Professor that he was going to be there also and that, of course, was not a problem.

The kitchen was pretty full, even though everybody came down here and there. The only two that weren't down there yet were Rogue and Remy. They were awake and they had gotten dressed but figured it wouldn't hurt to wait a bit before going down to eat. For now they were kind of lucky because some of the guys were whispering amongst each other about the past night. They had heard Rogue and they didn't know exactly what had happened but they thought she and Remy had sex. The only ones that weren't in on the conversation were Kurt, Warren and Piotr. They sat there quietly eating, nonetheless they heard all that was being said. Piotr and Warren both knew it wasn't any of their business what anyone did in private. Kurt didn't say anything but lots was racing through his mind. He didn't want to believe that his sister would do something that stupid and was hoping that she really hadn't actually had sex. He made a mental note to speak her, alone, after breakfast because he would like to know.

The girls were also had some interesting things to talk about, but it was involving Jean and Scott. The previous day Tabitha had passed by Jean's bedroom and heard some noises and now all of the girls new about it. Most of the girls talked about it, aside from Laura and Jean for Jean didn't know what they were rattling on about yet. Scott had no idea either what the commotion was about but he had a bad vibe. He didn't care who heard him and Jean though. Plus, he's used to getting teased about him and Jean.

Scott sat down between Jean and Bobby. After Jean and Scott said hi they started at their breakfast. Halfway through Jean ended up talking with Amara who was finally filling her in on what the girls had been talking about. Jean blushed a tad bit but it didn't bother her too much, she too was used to this kind of stuff.

Jean simply said, "Look, we have been together a long time . . ."

Tabitha looked at her. "We thought that you'd wait until marriage. You're supposed to be setting us a good example." she laughed at her comment as did some of the other girls. Jean grinned and shook her head.

"Well, I guess you won't get to wear a white wedding gown." Amara teased.

"Why not?" it didn't quite sink in yet.

"Duh, white is supposed to symbol purity. And you got pretty dirty with Scott." Kitty said with a smirk and a wink.

"Ha ha, very funny." Jean said smiling. She added, "I kind of did, didn't I? Lots of couples barely even know one another before they sleep together. At least we've been dating a long, long time."

It was silent for a brief moment then Jubilee jumped in. "Hmm, good point. But you and Scott slept together for a while now." she grinned.

Jean didn't get this either. "No, that was our first time."

Jubilee laughed along with the other girls who probably got it. Jean looked confused and then she realized what Jubilee had meant.

"If you put it that way, yes, we did sleep together many times but it was only sleeping. We never had sex those times." Jean said still smiling.

"Right." Rahne decided to add something in. She pretty much had remained quiet, aside from a giggle here and there, until now.

"Not you too." Jean said pleadingly. "Please just give me a break."

Tabitha looked at her with a grin. "If you hadn't been so loud I wouldn't have heard you. And I had to tell my girl, Amara, and the other girls. I couldn't resist."

"Sorry, I had trouble keeping quiet." Jean told her.

Amara giggled, "It must of felt really great. Is Scott good?"

Before Jean could speak Tabitha jumped in. "He had to of been, she was screaming. Not to mention, the bed was moving too. I guess it was slamming against the wall."

Jean's mouth had already dropped open at Amara's statement and it remained that way for a bit. Finally she said, "Yes, he was amazing. Given the fact you heard me, Tabitha . . . " Jean gave her a look, "I can't lie there."

"How big is it?" Kitty said out of nowhere. "I think he's a nice size. Have you seen the bulge in his uniform."

Jean made a face at her. "Kitty. You girls are bad. That I am not sharing. And why were you looking?"

Rahne looked a tad bit timid but she couldn't help herself. "From what Tabby said about how you moaned and how the bed sounded, it's either a good size or he just naturally knows how to use it."

Jean glanced at Rahne. "To think, I thought you were the good one. But seriously, _please_ stop teasing me." Jean begged.

"Nope, not until you get married." Amara told her.

"Yeah, and remember, no white dress for you." Kitty added to Amara's comment.

Jean wasn't mad by far. In fact, she was laughing too. She knew it was only for fun. "I'll get the whitest dress I can find."

"You'd only be giving a false image of yourself." said Tabitha.

"Okay, okay. Yes, we did have sex, but at least we are engaged. Does that count? Can I still be a good role model?" Jean joked.

All of the girls looked at each other then back to Jean. Kitty said, "I guess so. Just no more sex until you're married. Deal?"

They all laughed, including Jean, and went on about it. Laura still sat only listening to the conversations throughout the kitchen. Scott hadn't really caught the girls' conversation due to all of the talking. It was nearly as loud as a lunchroom. He did hear some of what Bobby said since he had said it sort of loudly. Scott raised an eyebrow just as Bobby glanced over at him.

"What?" Bobby asked.

"Did you say that you heard Rogue moaning in Gambit's room?" Scott asked.

"I sure did. I'm not sure what was going on but it sounded like they did it." Bobby said.

At that moment Logan passed by and he looked furious upon hearing that line. "Really?" he said.

Bobby jumped, he didn't know Logan was there or he wouldn't have said it. He thought Logan was still on the other side of the room with the other teachers.

"Oops," he whispered. "I didn't want to get anyone in trouble."

Scott looked surprised about what he heard but not overly surprised. He had noticed, just as others in the mansion, that Rogue and Remy were getting closer every day. He didn't really think Rogue would do that yet, considering they weren't together as far as he knew. But either way it was not any of his business so he'd stay out of it. Rogue and Remy would get enough from Logan anyway.

On the other hand, Logan was already out of the kitchen and heading up to Remy's room. Some of the students noticed him leave, including Laura, but none of the teachers did. They thought he was still elsewhere.

He looked really angry and began to mumble to himself as he continued along down the hallway.

"I can't believe she'd be that f-ckin' stupid. Why the hell should I even care? If she wants to mess up her life that's her problem." he said to himself.

Upon saying that under his breath, Logan was now beyond angry . . . he was downright furious as he continued on. When he was around four feet from the room Rogue and Remy both came out of it. Logan began to pick up pace.

"What . . . " Remy started to say but Logan didn't let him finish. Remy did have a good idea what was going to take place.

"Shut up and listen! There's a lot of rumors goin' around down there and I just wanna know what really happened in this room last night. And it had better not be what I heard it could be." Logan said fuming and he pointed to Remy's room.

Rogue and Remy looked at each other then she looked at Logan. "What? Who is sayin' what?" she questioned.

"Let's make this simple - most of the boys are talkin' about you and Gumbo, saying you were moaning, Rogue. Is that true?" Logan said gruffly and he move closer to them.

"Well, we didn't . . . " this time Rogue was cut off but by Remy who placed his index finger gently over her mouth. She looked into his eyes and he looked into hers.

Soon Remy turned away though and was glaring at Logan. "What we did last night is none of your business."

Logan stepped closer so that he was directly in front of them. He forced Rogue out of the way by grabbing hold of her arm and her pushed her to the side, she nearly stumbled over. Remy stood still and faced Logan, they both glared at one another. Logan was preparing to pop his claws out while Remy was clenching his fists and waiting to make his own move, if needed.

"Say that again, Cajun." Logan growled, his teeth were bared like a wolf on the verge to attack.

"You don't scare me so jus' turn 'round an' get de hell outta my face." Remy was grinning because he was rather amused. On the other hand, he was also angry but he tried to stay as calm as possible since Rogue was standing near them. Not that she hasn't seen a lot already throughout her life.

"Oh, I don't? Well, we'll just see if this scares ya." Logan growled once more and his claws on his right hand slid out from between his knuckles and he held them up to Remy.

Remy didn't flinch one bit, he kept his eyes on Logan but showed no signs of fear. Rogue was really getting scared, though she was quite pissed off too. Logan reached up and grabbed Remy by the hair, harshly, causing him to wince a bit.

"Does that bother ya?" Logan asked with a grin of pleasure upon seeing a sign of pain on Remy's face.

"Non." Remy said staying strong, he reached into his pocket to pull out a card.

Logan caught onto that then pulled on his hair harder and placed his claws up to Remy's neck (the middle claw slid back in some). Remy groaned a little and a painful expression once more washed over his face. It didn't stay long, he now had a malicious look and his eyes glowed red.

Rogue was horrified. "Logan, let go of him! Please! We didn't have sex. We only messed around." she lowered her voice on the last two lines.

Logan looked at her. "I don't care what ya did but it ain't gonna happen again." upon saying that he ignored her words of anger and placed his attention back to Remy who now had an Ace of Spades in his hand. He was ready. "Are ya tryin' to scare _me_ now, Gumbo? If so sorry to disappoint ya."

Remy somehow managed to get free of Logan's vice-like grip on his hair and then he moved his right leg between Logan's and knocked Logan right from under his own feet. Logan fell but it was not long before he was back on his feet again with his claws extended on both hands. Now Remy also had his bostaff and he was ready. Logan actually grinned. Remy smirked back at him. However, Rogue was still freaking out.

"Dammit! Will the two of ya just stop it?!" she screamed.

Right when they were about to go at each other Rogue ran in between them. Logan nearly shoved his claws right through her. "NO!!" Remy yelled. Logan stopped dead and Remy had the look of someone who was about to get hit by a train.

"Rogue, get outta the way!" Logan said, a little bit of panic in his voice.

"No! Not until ya leave us alone." she said.

Logan and Remy stood there. Remy still looked the same and Logan glanced over and saw his expression. He then realized that Remy had sounded very worried and fearful when Rogue was almost stabbed. His claws retracted and he looked at Remy and thought, _"Could he really care that much about her? He's probably only gonna use her." _Logan glared at Remy at that.

Logan glanced back at Rogue. "Move, Stripes." he ordered her.

"I told ya that I'm not movin' 'till ya go." Rogue stated and she was now glaring at Logan.

At that moment Ororo and Professor Xavier came down the hall along side of each other.

Xavier appeared to be quite upset. "Logan, what did I tell you the last time?!"

Logan turned and face Professor X and his eyes moved from him to Ororo who had a hurtful expression on her face. Her eyes moved away from his and she looked at Remy who had pulled Rogue into a close and tight embrace and he kissed her on the forehead. Ororo had no problem with Rogue being with him. Whether they were together or not it was their own business. If Rogue did get hurt than it just presses the point that people make mistakes. Ororo knew all about making mistakes when it came to love for she had experienced it herself. But from what she witnessed she had no doubt at all that Remy did care deeply for Rogue.

"Chuck . . . " Logan began but he didn't know what to say. He had been told before not to start fights but he couldn't resist. Especially when it came to Remy and with what he had heard down in the kitchen. He went on, "I overheard the kids downstairs and, let's just say, I didn't quite like what I heard."

"That still gives you no right to go around attacking people, not to mention members of your own team." Xavier said.

"Yeah, but if he ever hurts her I'll f-ckin' kill him." Logan said and he looked back at Remy who glared at him.

"You most certainly will not." the Professor stated firmly. "I have my doubts that Remy would, intentionally, hurt Rogue." he added.

Ororo walked over to Logan. "This has to stop, Logan." she said.

"I hope you're not pissed off at me too now." Logan told her.

"It's more like I'm disappointed in your actions." she said with that same hurtful expression. "Logan, just leave them be. After Charles and I are done with our discussion you and I are going to have a talk ourselves."

"Sure, why not?" he said gruffly.

"Are you still going to be there with me?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I wanna be there for ya." he said back.

Ororo looked at Rogue and Remy with a hint of a smile. "You both may go and have breakfast if you'd like. Most of the students are finished and gathered around down at the bottom of the stairs. Apparently they had heard this fight." she turned her attention back to Logan who couldn't look into her eyes at the moment.

Ororo grabbed hold of Logan's hand and held it in her own. Soon they were getting ready to go to Xavier's study to discuss her dream. Before they left Logan glanced back at Remy and he mouthed, "This isn't over, Gumbo." Remy and Rogue both knew what he mouthed. Remy glared at him but Rogue wasn't sure how to feel. Again, she felt torn because she loved them both, in different ways. But it was still love.

* * *

Professor Xavier had entered his study, followed by Ororo and Logan. Now he was behind his desk and he motioned for them to take a seat. When they seemed to be comfortable he began to speak.

"So, I have been hoping that you would want to discuss this with me. I know this new nightmare had to be alarming." he stated, placing the tips of his fingers together and looking at Ororo.

"Yes, it's quite frightening to be honest." she told him nervously.

"How would you prefer to go about with this? Would you be able to tell me or would you feel more at ease if I'd enter your mind? Of course, we'd still have to go over it either way so I can gather all of the details." he questioned soothingly for he wanted her to be relaxed.

Ororo looked at Logan and he said, "Do whatever is best for you. I'll know about it from the discussion." Although, he'd rather had her describe it aloud, he felt it to be rude to push her. And he's already made her upset by pressing her to tell him the night before. Then, after the incident that morning he definitely found it wasn't his place to tell her what she should do. He knew Ororo and he would be having their own discussion afterwards.

She paused for a moment to think. She was terrified of this dream and she, quite frankly, didn't know where to start. But she needed to get this out and see what Professor X thought about it.

"Charles, I feel I'll be well enough to speak of this aloud." she said.

"Are you sure?" Xavier asked, he wanted to be certain before she began.

"Yes." was all she said.

"Okay. You may go forth as soon as you are ready." he said assuredly.

Once again, Ororo paused. She figured that quicker she told him the quicker he could give assistance. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath then began giving the details of her nightmare.

"As you probably already have assumed, this nightmare is much different from the ones I've had about my past. Although I still have them from time to time, this one seems to happen more frequently. Nealy every night - especially when I'm alone." she paused again but no one spoke.

Xavier knew she was trying to figure out how to go about it and he was very patient. He was not oblivious to the fact that this wasn't easy for her. With that in mind, he didn't care if it took hours to get this sorted out. As long as he could help her he would be happy.

Soon she started to speak once more. "Well, in this dream Apocalypse has control over me, as he had before. Only . . . " she stopped and took a another deep breath and then continued. "This time I'm ordered to murder people I love dearly - everyone here. He wants the X-Men out of the way so he can take over the world. However, I've never gotten too far into the dream because I always wake up screaming and crying. Thankfully because I'd rather not see myself killing anyone." she stopped talking again but this time she wanted the Professor to respond. She looked as though she was on the verge of tears.

Xavier sat there contemplating what Ororo had just revealed. Logan appeared to be completely shocked. _"No wonder she didn't wanna tell me, or anyone." _he thought. Professor X glanced at Logan for a moment before he placed his attention on Ororo. Logan looked back at him with that same shocked expression.

"Hmm, it seems to be nothing more than a horrible nightmare. Just as your childhood memories have caused you to have extreme claustrophobia and terrible nightmares, this more recent experience has taken on a similar effect. And just the same, no matter how hard you try to place that memory of Apocalypse into the back of your mind it will still uprise - more so in your dreams, since they are what they call 'a window to your soul or subconsciousness'." Professor Xavier explained. "Your nightmare makes perfect sense, however. If he were to arise again he'd definitely want to get rid of the X-Men, and perhaps anyone who is an ally to us. If not for us he may have succeeded." he added on.

"Yes, it's not unusual for me to have this dream . . . it's just terrible. I wonder if Mystique or Magneto have had any nightmares from being Apocalypse's Horsemen? As far as I know, you haven't." she replied.

"I'm not sure if they have or not. But, I have. Only I can block them from my own mind due to the intense ability of my powers." he told her.

She already knew the answer but still she thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Is it possible that you could help me with this nightmare as you have with the others? With your help and guidance the nightmares of my past have become lesser. I can, at least, endure them." she said.

"I see no problem to why I couldn't help you, as you had said, it has helped you a great deal before. If you are ready at the moment I could go inside the depths of your mind and attept to block a great deal of that memory? You are aware though that I can't erase it completely?" he asked.

"The sooner the better." she told him. "Yes, I know. You had told me that before." she recalled.

"Very well." was all Xavier said as he wheeled himself over towards the chair Ororo was seated in. "If it gets uncomfortable please inform me immediately." he added. Ororo nodded.

Logan sat in his chair and watched everything, not saying a word, as the Professor raised his hands to either side of Ororo's head so that he could enter her mind. He and Ororo both closed their eyes and in no time he was inside and he saw the memory as if it were his own. The same went for the nightmare.

The Professor saw the image of Ororo as she looked when she was one of Apocalypse's Horsemen. He saw all of the horrible things she had done when she was under his control. How she attacked her friends/family, nearly killing some of them then. He didn't know a lot about that memory, but he had had his own terrible memories from being a Horsemen of Apocalypse. Fortunately, he was able to block that out of his mind. Although he still didn't forget it.

After he saw her memories of what really happened he got into her nightmare, which right away seemed frightening. Ororo looked even more possessed and she had a grotesque, sinister expression upon her face. And she, in the dream, had been ordered to get rid of all of the X-Men. She was to murder them all, along with any followers. Xavier now saw Ororo flying along on a current of wind through a pitch-black night, the only light was from the tiny stars above and street lamps below, and she was, unmistakably, heading right toward the institute. Once she had entered the gates and went over them she landed to the ground. Her eyes were aglow, she appeared to be thrilled to destroy everyone inside. Though it was only a dream, Professor X could see why she was so unnerved and filled with fear from this nightmare.

As he went further along he saw her walk into the mansion and she went from room to room. No one was in any of the downstairs rooms so she was making her way up the large staircase towards the dormitories. The first room was his own room, his heart seemed to beat faster as head watched her open his door and as he saw himself lying fast asleep. She mader her way to the side of his bed and . . . the nightmare ended.

Professor Xavier had seen her memories of what had really happened and had seen her nightmare from starting point up until where Ororo had awaken. He didn't try to pursue it any further. He could sense that she was freaked out and knew she had seen it all to as he probed her mind. His only intentions now were to try and block as much of the memory as he could, without erasing it entirely. He never, not even to himself, erased an entirety of a memory. He fears that doing so will also mess with who a person is. Memories are very important, good or bad, for they make up who someone is. And they can even remind you of things you don't want to forget altogether. Maybe just not think about them a lot or have nightmares about that particular memory.

The Professor was correct, Ororo had felt uncomfortable at times; her heart raced and she felt as though she was reliving the Apocalypse incident and the nightmare, but didn't want to stop him. She knew she'd be much better off once this task had been finished. At least, she could hope so.

After what seemed like forever, which in reality was only around twenty minutes, Professor Xavier had opened his eyes and pulled back. Ororo soon after opened her eyes. He was hoping that he had accomplished his mission.

"How much do you remember?" he asked her.

She looked into his eyes. "Not much. The whole Apocalypse phenomenon seems only a distant memory." she said and she smiled.

"Good. And, do you have any memory of the nightmares you've been having?" he decided he'd ask.

She thought for a moment. "Only a vague memory." she said smiling again. Truthfully, she could hardly grasp the memory.

"Excellent. It seems my attempt proved effective. Although, as the other mental blocks have worn off within time, these may as well. But no need to worry, I shall replace them at that point." he reassured her. But he saw a little sadness in her eyes and sensed automatically what it was. "I know I won't be around forever, still I will be here a long time yet. And I am working with Jean from time to time and by that time of my passing on I would hope that she is strong enough to take on what I have been doing. I daresay, she is getting quite good at telepathy." he said kindly.

Ororo smiled. "Yes, it's only that I don't even really want to think about you not being around. You've been like a father to me. And you still are. I do have trust in Jean and I'm sure she'll make you proud. She has such potential for one so young, although she's not a child anymore."

"Then don't. I will be here for a long while so there's no need to worry. If you do have any more reoccurring nightmares, of this nature or too many of your past, do come to me right away. I do not care if it's in the middle of the night. Don't keep this inside anymore. It's not healthy." he informed her.

"Yes, I promise I'll let you know." she said now smiling again.

Logan was still sitting there quietly. He hasn't known what to say. Even as the discussion ended and he and Ororo left Professor X's study, Logan remained quiet.

"Logan, is everything okay?" Ororo asked as they made there way back up and into the living room.

"Yeah. I've been thinkin', that's all." he answered honestly.

"About what?" she asked.

"Nothin' in particular. Just about the things you and Chuck talked about." he responded. "I'm glad he could help."

"Yes, me too. But I was doubting him." she proclaimed. "What exactly were you thinking?" she wondered.

"Only that it's funny that I wanted to know about my past and you'd sooner forget yours." he said gruffly but with a bit of a smirk.

"We had indifferent circumstances. You wanted to know because you had your memory wiped clean. I'd rather forger because mine were so painful. But now that you know a lot more yours, I'm certain, are painful as well." she told him.

"Yep, ya hit the nail on the head." he said.

A few minutes or so of silence had passed by when Ororo finally spoke, "So, are you up for our little discussion?"

"Not really." he said back hopeful that she had forgot that too.

Logan laughed inside; he had figured he wouldn't get off the hook that easily. He looked back at her and she didn't seem too thrilled with his answer.

"I was kidding darlin', 'course I'm up for it." he said. "What's in it for me though?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.

"Do I get to frisk ya? And I'm not talkin' about that wussy way that cops do it." he winked.

She shook her head and smiled. "Just come with me."

"Oh Ororo, I'd love to." he grinned.

"How funny. No, seriously let's go so we can talk." she said sternly, although she was still smiling.

Ororo grabbed Logan by the hand and lead him up to her room. She closed the door behind them and they went and sat at the edge of her bed. There was silent for a short time.

"What are we goin' to talk about?" Logan asked.

"You can't tell me that you do not remember. You know perfectly well." she said to him.

"Yeah, I guess I do." he said but he'd prefer not to.

"To get straight to the point, I really don't care for the way you act towards Gambit, and the fact that he and Rogue are fond of each other." she said plainly.

"I'm sorry that I can't stand that punk." he said feeling anger rise within him. Not at Ororo but at the thought of Rogue and Remy.

"Why, because he's interested in Rogue?" she asked.

"Maybe. I don't believe he'll treat her right. Even you know how he is, he's a player." he answered with a sort of hatred in his eyes.

"Whether he'll treat her properly or not is not our business. I'm not saying I want her to get hurt, I'm merely saying that it's _her_ choice to whom she hangs around with and to whatever _she_ decides to do with that individual." she pointed out.

"Yeah, I know but I can't sit back and watch her get crushed. It's obvious that she has strong feelings for him." he agreed but pressed his own point.

"True as does he for her." she stated calmly.

Logan opened his mouth but didn't retort right away. He simply sat there looking into Ororo's eyes for a bit. He eventually said, "You lost me. When has he shown any feelings for her, aside from the ones of wanting to f-ck her?" he sounded disdainful.

"I've noticed them." she said and before Logan could say anything she added, "Haven't you noticed that he hasn't been going out as often? And even when he does he's not out any later than midnight. That shows something."

He looked at her. "I still don't trust him."

Ororo thought carefully and long before she spoke again. "I must point out that I believe you're problem with Gambit runs deeper than what you let on."

"What are you gettin' at?" he asked appearing to be annoyed.

"My apologies, but maybe you two are too much alike." she hoped he wouldn't be furious.

He didn't seem to be, to her surprise. He seemed to be humored by her opinion. "Alike? Gumbo and me. I don't agree."

"Of course not. Others would though." she told him bracingly.

"How?" was all he said.

"Well, you're both free spirits: you do whatever you want whenever you want, you really don't take orders from anyone (except conceivably the Professor) and you don't always listen to him, you are very complex and unwilling to reveal true feelings and you are very sexual. You can't deny any of those qualities, can you?" she explained.

Logan, once again, couldn't answer yet. He was pondering over what she had said. He honestly couldn't find a way to argue. "I guess ya got me there. OK, maybe we are alike when it comes to those prospects but I still don't trust him. No matter what you or anyone else says."

"I'm not saying you must trust him, I'm just saying that you need to back off and leave them be. Please. Xavier is unhappy with the fact that you keep attacking him." she said.

"Good 'cause I'll never trust him." he said quickly and gruffly. "Is this conversation over?"

"I suppose, there's nothing more I can say." she replied, hoping he'd take this seriously.

"Then, since we're in your room and already on your bed . . . let's get busy." he said gladly changing the subject.

"You are pathetic." she said with a smile and she smacked him across the arm.

The couple picked at one another for a bit. Soon Logan had pinned her, playfully, on the bed with him on top of her. She managed to get out and she straddled over him with a smug look of success.

"You are sneaky. I like it." he growled and he pulled her down on him so that she was lying directly over him.

Their bodies were pressed tightly together. It didn't take long for him to pull her into a deep, passionate kiss. After they had kissed a while and groped each other a little the two remained in one anothers arms. Logan thought much about what Ororo had told him about Remy and him being alike. Oddly, even now he couldn't argue and he actually saw from his own actions that, presumably, she was right.

* * *

It was past lunch time so most of the students had eaten. Ever since that morning Kurt had been wondering how to confront Rogue about what he had heard that over breakfast. Not that it was any of his business, and he knew that, but he was her brother. He was hoping she really hadn't done what all of the boys had thought. At this time the entire mansion was gossiping about that and about Jean and Scott.

Kurt wanted Rogue to be happy and he didn't mind Remy too much; although he didn't honestly trust him to the full extent. Kurt was curious to when he'd be able to talk to her alone. He'd rather Remy to not be near when he questioned her.

Lucky for him, his time was now. Rogue and Remy were standing in the foyer together. At first glance Kurt had the idea that she was going to leave with him. That was until he saw her kiss Remy and give him a hug. He had appeared to say that he'd be back in a while. Finally Kurt had his chance and as soon as Remy exited the mansion and Rogue entered the living room area he cornered her.

"Uh, Rogue . . . " he said nervous kind of tone. He knew how she could react at times and to be honest it frightened him every now and then.

"Yeah. What's up?" she said back to him, not taking notice to his slight nervousness.

"I was, well . . . " he started. _"Just ask her" _he mentally told himself. "I was wondering what happened with you and Remy last night?" he spit it out.

Rogue stared at him briefly as if she was finding it hard to digest his question. She then said, "Never you mind 'cause it's not really your place." She didn't sound angry, only annoyed.

Kurt looked at her and shook his head. "Yeah, I think it is my place, Sis. If you did what they say you did I think you made a mistake."

Since she had went to breakfast late she hadn't known about all of the commotion. She noticed that some of the students had looked at her and Remy strangely but didn't take too much notice to it. She knew how the students were.

"What exactly are they sayin'? And who're _they_?" she retorted.

"The boys, and the girls now, think you and Gambit had ... had s-sex." he had difficulty allowing the words to come out.

"What!? And why would they get that idea?!" she spat.

"Calm down, I guess they heard you moaning in his room last night." he said. He looked into her eyes for an answer but all he could see was anger. "Rogue, please tell me it's not true."

"Fine, since ya wanna know, it's not true." she said furiously.

"Don't bite off my head. I happen to love you a lot and I worry about you." Kurt said firmly, though anger was building up in his own body.

"Sorry, but it's bad enough that Logan has too constantly start sh-t and put his nose where it doesn't belong. And he never fails to lecture me about Remy. It's gettin' annoying extremely fast. Now you." she said. She seemed to be so upset that, despite the anger, her eyes rimmed with tears.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm not telling you to stay away from him and I'm not going to lexture you. I only wanted to know if it was true that you were moaning . . . in Gambit's room and I was hoping that you didn't do anything you'd regret. That's all." he said calmer.

She looked at him, trying to calm herself. "Alright, it's true that I was moanin." upon seeing the expression on his face she quickly added, "But we didn't have sex. We messed around. We did other things, but not sex."

Kurt looked relieved. "Good."

"Why does it matter? I mean, ya say you like him, to a point." Rogue stated.

"Yeah, but I don't wanna see you get hurt." he told her sympathetically.

"I won't. I know what I'm doin', believe me." she assured him.

"I sure hope so." he replied. He then thought about what she said about Logan. "And you know, Logan's not trying to be a jerk or anything; he just worries about you too. You are like a daughter to him. Ever since he knew you were part of the team and no longer a treat to us he's thought of you that way."

"I do. Yeah I know. But he makes me so damn mad. He just needs to back off and realize that I'm not a little girl." she said back.

"No, you're not. You're a beautiful, young woman." Kurt complimented her, but he was sincere.

"Kurt, you're so sweet." she was flattered.

"It's only the truth." he said.

"You're beautiful too - well I mean _handsome_." she told him. "And don't say you're not." she added when she saw the odd look in his face.

Rogue then pulled Kurt into an embrace, which he returned, and then she kissed him on the forehead.

"Rogue, yuck!" he said loudly.

Rogue turned and ran towards the stairs and started to race up the steps and Kurt teleported right in front of her.

"You should know by now you can't get away from someone who can teleport." he joked.

She smiled. "I guess I forgot." she joked back.

"I will let you go though so you can fill Kitty in with what really happened." he stated.

"Okay, yeah I'm sure she'll want to know." she said and she rolled her eyes somewhat. She added, "Although, I'll make her work to get it from me. Just a little."

Kurt grinned at Rogue and the two went their separate ways. He went back downstairs and she headed towards hers and Kitty's room. She figured that Kitty would be in there because she wasn't downstairs anywhere. Fortunately she was so Rogue walked into the open doorway and then closed the door behind her.

Kitty jumped once the door had shut and glanced over at Rogue. "Hey - long time no see." That was the first time in two nights that she had seen Rogue in their room. Rogue had went in to get a change of clothes, put on make-up, do her hair and so forth but she hasn't slept in there.

"Yeah, well . . . " Rogue said as she walked over and sat on the edge of Kitty's bed. But before she could say what she wanted to tell her, Kitty spoke.

"So . . . what's going on with you and Gambit? There's rumors going around here, spreading like wildfire, that you guys had sex." Kitty asked, and it was as if she read Rogue's mind.

"OK, that's all they are, just rumors." Rogue stated.

"Come on, Rogue, you can't lie to me." Kitty said.

"I'm not lyin'. We didn't have sex." said Rogue. Kitty looked away for a second and a smug grin swept over Rogue's face.

"So, you two didn't do it?" Kitty asked and she raised an eyebrow.

"Nope. I'm not that crazy." Rogue told her.

"How come you were heard moaning in his room then?" Kitty questioned, she felt like she was prying into Rogue's private life but she just had to know.

"I can still moan without f-ckin' him, ya know." Rogue said.

"Rogue, please tell me the truth. I'm your best friend. _Please_." Kitty begged.

"I am, we didn't screw. I swear. B'sides, I don't kiss and tell." Rogue knew she couldn't hold it back too much longer.

Kitty gave Rogue a puppy-dog face. "Tell me. Pretty please; with sugar, cherries and anything else you'd like on top."

"We really didn't have sex, cross my heart." Rogue tried to continue this but she would have to end it soon.

"If you didn't have sex why were you moaning though?" Kitty asked.

Rogue gave some thought, _"I think I played around enough. I should tell her." _She then looked at Kitty. "Fine, we messed around. And not just kissin' and makin' out."

Kitty looked at her with a smirk. "So you gave him a hand-job or a blow-job and he fingered or ate you?"

Rogue eyes widened some at the way Kitty had spoken. Nevertheless, Rogue replied, "Yeah. All of the above."

Now Kitty's eyes widened and her mouth dropped some.

It was as if Kitty couldn't even speak for a moment because the word "Wow" was upon her lips but no sound came out. She wasn't one hundred percent shocked but she found it odd for one of her best friends, especially Rogue, to be involved in sexual relations. Only for the reason that not too, too long ago Rogue couldn't even touch at all.

"Oh, it's not that much of a surprise. Is it?" Rogue said looking at Kitty's expressions.

"Not really, it's just that I never imagined you in that possition." Kitty finally was able to speak.

"I would hope that ya wouldn't imagine me in a sexual position." Rogue said smiling.

"You know what I meant." Kitty retorted returning the smile. She then said, " I knew it! I knew you had a thing for Gambit."

"What do ya mean?" Rogue asked, as if she didn't really know.

"I've seen the way you looked at him. Even after you'd insult him and when he left I saw those looks in your eyes. I'm sure others here have as well." Kitty explained.

"It was that obvious?" Rogue in kind of an undertone.

"Like, yeah. At least to me and some of the people here." Kitty told her. "Oh, so you're actually admitting it."

"Wha- ?" Rogue started to say. _"Dammit, she got me red-handed." _she thought. She then asked, "So are ya gonna interrogate me too?"

Kitty laughed when Rogue was going to try to deny it. But she went on to answer Rogue's question, raising an eyebrow again. "No, why would I?"

"It seems that some like to. I just got done talkin' with Kurt, which wasn't all that bad if ya compare his confrontation with Logan's." Rogue said and she scowled a little at the thought of Logan's behavior towards her and Remy.

"He's just protective of you." Kitty said.

"Overprotective." Rogue said back with a little touch of bitterness.

Kitty laughed. "So true." she then paused a moment to think about what she was going to say. She knew what to say but wasn't sure she should. She decided to give it a try. "Don't get upset but have you noticed the similarities with Gambit and Logan?" Kitty waited for the rage.

Surprisingly, it didn't come. Rogue sat there thinking. For at least a minute there was silence as she compared them in her mind and Kitty was right. "To be honest, I do. So why is Logan so overprotective of me?"

"Maybe because he was wild when he was young, which is more than likely true, and he has hurt women. Probably by accident, but I'm sure he's had broken some hearts. He might think that, given how Gambit is with the ladies, he'll break yours." Kitty explained.

"Maybe, just maybe. And he can't bear me to get hurt, in any way." Rogue said. "But I'm not goin' to go any further with Remy until I know he's sincere and that I'm the _only_ woman in his life. His private life I should say 'cause there's lots of women in his life considerin' he lives here."

Kitty nodded. Rogue and Kitty then continued their conversation. Rogue was happy to talk to someone who wasn't telling her to stay away from Remy or saying she was stupid, so to speak. She was glad to talk freely about things she couldn't talk to anyone else about, even Remy. She told Kitty that she thought she was falling in love with Remy, Kitty however didn't look too taken back. She had the idea, for it was obvious if you knew Rogue like she did. It may have been very subtle to some but most had at least an idea.

As Kitty and Rogue went on, Rogue wished she had enough courage to tell Remy how she felt. She was afraid though, afraid he'd avoid her if he knew the truth. She was quite sure he wouldn't want to commit to only one girl when he could have as many as he wanted. She knew that one day she'd have to spill her guts because she couldn't keep her feelings away from him forever. She also feared that if she never told him how she feels that she'd lose him. And she didn't want that either. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Although, she wasn't ready to confirm yet. Kitty was the first and only person she had admitted it to and not on purpose. She meant to tell Kitty what had happened the previous night but Kitty was sly. She made Kitty promise not to share the news with anyone and Kitty promised. Rogue wanted no one else to know the truth, for now, she wanted to keep it with her and Kitty.

* * *

_I hope you liked this:) It wasn't extremely long but I think it was a good lenth:) I used the spellchecker so there shouldn't be any errors:) I'll try to work on the next chapter ASAP:) I've been taking less time to update cause I've had more free time to write and everything, so the next one shouldn't be too far away:) Well, anyway, do what you usually do:) I can't wait to see what you think:D Thanks to everyone for staying with me:) And again, Slickboy444, you've been a great help; thanks a bunch:) Everyone, take care:)_


	11. Taking Chances

**Chapter Ten**

Monday morning had arrived quickly. Most of the students had eaten breakfast and were ready to leave for school. Jean didn't have any classes until later that morning so she would be able to help Scott. He had volunteered to fill-in for Logan since he would be off to court for Laura's adoption hearing. Logan had already spoken to Xavier and asked for some last minute tips. At this moment he was sitting at the table in the kitchen across from Ororo. The kitchen was nearly vacant.

"You will do fine." Ororo reassured him, as she had been ever since he decided to adopt Laura. She reached across the table and placed her hands over his.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not worried about the hearing as much as I was before. My problem now is that I hope I'll be a good dad. I'm not exactly experienced in that area." Logan told her and he turned his hands over so that the two were now holding hands over the table.

"I'm sure you'll be a wonderful father. So don't stress out. Besides, if you'd need any help you have all of us. And you'll always have me." she stated with a smile.

Their hands fell apart as he got up and walked around the table towards her. She stood up so that they were directly in front of one another. Of course they weren't eye to eye for the fact that she was taller than him but that didn't bother either of them. Although, Logan couldn't help but make a joke.

"Darlin', maybe you should take off your heels. Or perhaps I should get some." he said.

She laughed. " Well, in that case make sure you take me shopping with you. I could be of great assistance." she joked back.

However, for this time, she actually removed her shoes so that she didn't look way taller than him. They then wrapped their arms around each other and shared a quick kiss. His hands were around her waist until he decided he'd prefer them somewhere else. He slid them down and placed them on her butt and pulled her even closer. Then he squeezed causing Ororo to moan into his mouth. When they broke from the kiss she grinned at him and he had a grin upon his own face.

"How did it feel?" he asked.

"Good. Maybe you would like to see for yourself." she told him and she moved and pressed her body against his, reach behind him and squeezed his butt too. She felt awkward doing this in the kitchen.

"Mmm, that sure does feel good, but if ya don't stop I'll be late for the hearing." he said with a smirk.

"Why would you be late?" she said not thinking of where his mind had drifted.

"Well 'cause I'd be so horny that we'd have to have a nice screw." he told her still smirking. "But hey, after I get back and tell the others how everything went we can continue where we left off."

She grinned. "Oh really, but I would hope we'd take it upstairs."

"Why? It'll be more darin' down here. And whoever'd walk in would have a pretty damn good show." he joked.

She playfully smacked him across the arm. "I don't think so." she then kissed him again and added, "But I'll see you later, honey, because you've go to be going."

He gave her a peck on the lips and headed out of the kitchen. She remained there. As Logan was about to leave the mansion and go get his motorcycle a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Could I go with you?" It was Laura.

"Well . . . does the Professor know you'll be absent?" he asked thinking about her own question.

"Yes, I asked him if it was okay. He doesn't mind." she told him hopefully.

"I guess so, but be good. I know how you can be 'cause we are so alike. We're only out on one purpose: to go to the adoption hearing, nothing else." he said firmly. He knew how angry she could become and he sometimes feared having her out of the institutes' walls. Although, he knew she couldn't stay penned in. He hated that feeling and had to get away at times, if only for a few hours.

"Of course. I just wanna be there." she said.

"Will ya be OK on the bike with me?" he questioned her.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she said back.

He nodded and the two left the mansion. Soon they were on his bike. He had on his helmet and gave her the extra one. After they were both situated he revved up his engine and they were off. She held onto his waist.

It took about twenty-five minutes to arrive at the court house. Now Logan and Laura were making their way up a short path-like sidewalk towards two double wooden doors with big windows. They entered the building: off to the left were groups off chairs, people were seated in some of them, and off to the right stood a long division that went from one wall to the other. On the other side were a number of regular business desks here and there. Logan and Laura walked over and waited. In a few seconds a young looking woman came over.

"May I help you?" she said with a smile.

"Yeah, we're here for a hearing with Mr. Lee Stan." Logan said uncomfortably.

"Name please." she asked as she pulled up a file on the computer in which names and appointment dates had been stored.

"Logan Howlett."

The woman scrolled through the file and soon looked back up. "Yes, you're scheduled in for 9:00AM, right?"

"Yep."

"Okay, just take a seat over there and he'll be with you a few moments." she told him with another smile.

"Thanks."

Logan and Laura walked over and seated themselves beside each other. Neither of them said a word as they waited. In around five minutes a man came out of one of two wooden doors that had brass bar-like handles across the middle of them. He wasn't young but he also wasn't old and he was reasonably handsome. His hair had some gray but originally was dark brown and well kept. He looked to be in his late thirties, early forties. He wore a gray suite with a white dress shirt and a black and white striped tie. He glanced over at Logan and Laura and automatically recognized them. Perhaps it was because they were the only two there that resembled a father and a daughter.

"Mr. Howlett?" he asked just to be certain.

"Yeah, that's me." he said and Laura and he stood up. They walked over to the man.

"I'm Attorney Lee Stan. Please follow me." he said and shook Logan's hand and then Laura's.

They did as he said and followed him through the door he had came out of. They were now walking down a huge hallway and in no time they had made a left and entered court room. It wasn't very big so apparently it was only for hearings such as this one. There weren't any other people in the room other than the judge, which was an older but pretty woman, they lawyer and them two. He felt so much better at that.

Logan and Laura continued to follow Mr. Stan until he motioned them to take a seat in two would chairs that sat behind a wooden table. Logan had realized that this court room more than likely used it's older furniture since most of it was wood. But it was in glorious condition, well taken care of. Once he and Laura were seated Mr. Stan took up some papers to the judge whom looked them over.

After a brief moment she spoke, "Good morning Mr. Howlett. I'm Judge Rita Stevenson. I know all about you due to the fact that I am a close friend of Nick Fury. And Professor Charles Xavier had really given me good word of you too. From what the both of them tell me you are a very good person: responsible and trustworthy. However, I must do a proper trial. Last but not least, Professor Xavier has also informed me that you are a teacher at his institute?" she finally finished. She wasn't smiling but she didn't seem too harsh. On the contrary, she was likely to be a sweet person outside of the court house.

"Yeah, . . . I am." he stammered slightly. "I've been there for years, on and off. But for the last 3 years I've stayed put and took up a job. I teach and train our students, which you probably already know are mutants." he said and he kept clasping and unclasping his hands, absentmindedly.

"Sounds convincing. And they both tell me you're very good with the students. Strict and firm but kindhearted, as am I." she told him with a hint of a smile, but nothing more. She then answered his question. "Yes, I am well aware of that and don't worry that wouldn't have changed a thing. Even if I hadn't known ahead of time."

"Wow." Logan said in kind of a sigh.

"Well, not every non-mutant being dislikes mutant-kind. After all, aren't we all really humans anyway?" she stated.

"I wish everyone thought that way." Logan replied with a weak smile. He added gruffly, "I've had bad experience, as you know, with the law and government."

"As do I. Yes, that's why I'm trying to make this as easy as possible. But let's get on with the hearing, shall we?" she said. "We don't have to do too much." she then looked over at Laura. "Young lady, before we go any further I have a few questions for you. First, this file says that you haven't any name aside from the experiment name X23, is that still so?"

Laura grimaced at the name X23. "No," she started with some bitterness but she realized the judge was only doing her job. "Well . . . that was what I _was_ called but I have picked a first name."

"Okay, could you please let me know what you've chosen?" Judge Stevenson asked,not unkindly.

"Sure, uh - it's Laura." she told her. Laura's nerves were betraying her.

"That's a pretty name." said the judge as she made notes.

"Thanks." Laura said hoping to sound polite. Being at the mansion had made her a little less rough around the edges. Just as long as no one pushed her buttons.

"You're welcome." said Judge Stevenson once she finished writing things down. "Second, what is your perspective on Mr. Howlett's way with the students and yourself?"

Laura hesitated a bit but quickly rebound. "I - I think, now that I know he had nothing to do with what was done to me, that he's a w-wonderful person." she felt extremely nervous, even though there wasn't any jury. This was all new to her but she knew her word would help immensely. "He's really good with the students . . . and I know he'd be the perfect father for me. He and I are almost two peas in a pod. We both were experimented on," she scowled remotely but continued. ". . . even though until now I had no idea what it was like to be normal. Well, as _normal_ as I'll ever be. He's the only person in the world that understands me to the full extent. And maybe the only person who could calm me down. He's been there since he found out about me, no one else ever cared about me like he does. Not that the others at the institute don't care, b-because I know they do." she paused briefly and began again. "I really don't know what more to say. We just get each other. He's, so to speak, already my father. So why not make it legal?"

Judge Stevenson gave a brief smile and looked over to Logan. "It seems she's quite fond of you."

"Yeah, well, ya shoulda seen her when we first met." he said jokingly.

Laura grinned as he looked over at her. He grinned back. Soon his attention was back to the judge.

"The last question will be for you, Mr. Howlett, for I assume Laura doesn't know. It states on these files that there isn't a mother?" Judge Rita Stevenson said.

"Right . . s-she had died during childbirth. So no, there isn't a mother. But there are loads of help there if I'd need it. And there's even a mother figure." Logan explained.

"Okay, the mother died giving birth." Judge Stevenson said, mainly to herself as she made notes. She then looked back to Logan. "You say there _is_ a mother figure though?"

"Oh yeah. I've been with a teacher at the institute . . . for quite some time now. Ororo Monroe. And she's wonderful with kids and everyone else. In fact, her nephew is stayin' with us. He's a handful but she does well with him." he explained more.

"So, she has a decent amount of experience with children?" the judge questioned.

"Yep, she's great. If I need any encouragement I have her, along with the other older ones there. There's a good bit of adults or near adults. And Laura has peers too." he told her. He was still feeling nervous and he hoped that it didn't show.

"I see, Professor Charles Xavier has mentioned to me about the other teachers and all of the students. It appears you sure do have a lot of support and help. However, do you believe you are responsible enough and capable enough to manage raising a teenager? They aren't always little angels. I know how children are for I've had some, which are grown up and moved out." she stated but she could tell he was nervous so she added a small smile.

"I won't lie, Um . . . I'm new to this parent thing. But I do believe I can do it. I've been dealing with kids a lot there. And like I said, I have help if I'd need a break. All parents need breaks though, right?" he said.

"Yes, that's why we get babysitters." she said and Logan grinned. "It's normal to need a break. So from everything we've discussed it looks to me as though you'll be a good parent. It's in best interest for Laura as well." she then turned to the attorney. "Mr. Stan, could you please come here?" the judge asked.

"Yes." he replied.

He got up and moved up to her. She gave him some papers and told him to take them down to Logan and Laura. He turned back and sat down.

"Now, before you sign those I have one more thing to say. I have heard some amazing things about you, Mr. Howlett, and I can see for myself that those things were very true. In my opinion, as I had said, you will make a good father. Go ahead and sign the papers. If the woman you are with, Miss Monroe, and you get married or you're making a lifetime commitment and she decides she'd like to be Laura's adoptive mother at some point, we can make that legal too. Now Laura, you may sign below his name if you'd like." she told them and added, "Then you sign your name Mr. Stan stating that you represented them and I'll place my own signature to close this. After we all sign you, Mr. Howlett are legally Laura's father."

Logan liked how that sounded even though he still felt oddly about the whole thing. It was new territory. He was good with kids but he wasn't sure how he'd be with one of his own. So far before this he did well with Laura, obviously for she gave him quite a lot of amazing compliments when speaking with the judge. Laura appeared to be beaming, in her own way. She felt some of the same feelings of uncertainty but knew it would all turn out well in the long run. And she was happy to finally have a family. Nevertheless, both her and Logan were extremely nervous about the whole father/daughter relationship.

Logan, Laura and Mr. Lee Stan had signed the papers. The attorney took them up to Judge Rita Stevenson and she too signed them and smiled but remained firm.

"It's final, you are now father and daughter. I hope you enjoy being a parent. I, myself, know it can be rewarding but it's not always a picnic, as I've also said." she stated.

"Oh, I know. And as you know, I've dealt with kids since I've been at Xavier's school. They're great but they can be big pains." he said with agreement.

She actually laughed. "Well, copies of these papers will be sent to you and to Nick Fury. He wants them so he too has proof of the adoption to make sure no one can harm Laura. She now belongs to you. Nice meeting you both, I hope you two have a wonderful day." she said.

Logan and Laura shook hands again with Attorney Lee Stan and he pointed them into the right direction. They walked out the same way the came in and were now back on Logan's bike. In matters of seconds they were off heading back to the mansion. Now they were truly father and daughter. Before they went too far Logan thought of the small cafe that he went to at times. It wasn't too packed most of the time.

"Hey, Laura, I'm not really good at this 'cause it's all new and quite different but I was wonderin' if ya would like to celebrate?" he asked.

She had to think for a moment and she realized he meant about what had just happened. "Sure, why not. Don't feel bad, this is a totally different situation for me as well. I know how you feel." she then added, "Where are we gonna go?"

"Good, at least we both feel odd then." he said with relief in knowing she too was uneasy. "I was thinkin' about this little cafe I go to. It's nice and comfy and not too crowed. We could have something to drink: me a coffee and you a soda." he said happily. He, besides when he was with Ororo, hasn't felt this good in a long, long time. He was happy but still not sure how everything would turn out.

"Yeah, but I want a coffee too." she said also sounding kind of happy. For her that was just as rare.

"Fine, two coffees then." he said. _"Relax, it'll get better and easier with time."_ he thought.

Logan changed direction some and drove down a street and once there they went inside. He ordered two coffees and they went and sat down at a table for two. They talked and talked but at moments there was complete silence between them. It sure would take time for the awkwardness to wear off. But it indeed would.

In about an hour they finished their coffee. They still weren't talking as much as they had when they had first sat down inside. It was the shock and excitement of everything that had put them into conversation. But they lost it after a bit, neither of them were good with feelings.

Now they exited the cafe and were back outside. Shortly afterwards they were on the motorcycle again heading back to the institute.

* * *

At the mansion Jean and Scott had finished substituting for Logan and were sitting on the steps outsidetalking. She would soon be leaving for her class and they wanted to spend some time together, but not inside since it was such a beautiful day. Jean was sitting between Scott's legs one step below him. His arms were around her shoulders from behind and crossed over her chest. Her right arm rested upon his leg with her hand grasping his knee every so often; she caressed his hands and arms with her other hand. They seemed peaceful and comfortable, and they were.

"Jean, would you mind if I drove you to your class today?" he asked.

"Why?" she asked him. He hasn't driven her anywhere for a while.

"It would be easier for us to go out. I'd like to have some time alone with you." he pressed him point.

Jean smiled. "Okay, sounds good to me." She didn't need to say more because she knew what he was talking about.

It was great to live at the institute but it was hard to have alone time. They had been wanting to be intimate again but felt they'd rather not do it at the institute every time. There were too many ears to hear them. Not that they really cared who heard, it was only better knowing they'd be all to themselves. No interruptions and eavesdroppers.

Jean thought for a moment and then said, "But won't someone see us?"

"It'll be dark when were done with the date. Plus, we won't be anywhere in the open." he assured her.

"Of course." she said. She felt silly thinking he'd want to do that in daylight and in the open. _"Duh"_, she thought.

Now Logan and Laura were walking up towards the institute. From the way they looked you'd think something good had happened. But that was how they were.

"So, how'd it go?" Jean asked with a smile.

"Very well, she's now my daughter by law and Hydra can't lay a finger on her." he said gruffly.

"Good. But you sure don't look too happy." Jean replied.

"Do I ever?" Logan said and he grinned a little.

"No, not really. Unless you're busting our butts in the danger room." Jean joked.

Logan couldn't help but laugh. "So true. But it pays off. Right, Shades?" he turned to Scott.

Scott scowled slightly at the name but he was used to being called strange names by Logan. "I guess so. I'm not any better at times." There was quietness for a fraction of a minute before Scott added, "When are you telling the others?"

"Probably at dinner since we'll all be there." he answered.

"Not us. We're going out. After my class we'll be out until sometime tonight." Jean told Logan.

"Have fun." Logan winked at them and started up the steps with Laura not far behind. "See ya around." she told them.

A few minutes later Jean and Scott were leaving. It brought back memories of when they were in high school when he used to drive her from place to place. But now they'd be doing more than talking and hanging out in his car. That evening they would make it a intimate place.

* * *

After school in the rec room, Kitty and Kurt were trying to talk Rogue into going to the prom with them. They missed out on their Junior prom due to havning piles of homework. They'd probably go to their own Senior prom but they knew Rogue would more than likely regret not going. Even though she'd deny the regret they knew her better than she thought.

"Come on, Rogue, you know you want to." Kitty begged.

"Yeah, Sis. And you don't need a date. We'll be going as friends." Kurt pleaded.

Rogue rolled her eyes irritably. "I don't see what the big deal with proms are. What fun would it be without a date anyways? What would three people do; huddle in a circle ta dance?" Sarcasm was dripping from nearly every single word.

"Don't be a party pooper. Us three can have more fun. We'd only have to do that circle thing with slow dances." said Kurt with an encouraging smile, deciding to make a joke at the end.

Rogue blew her white bangs and sighed. "B'sides, I don't dance y'all. I'd look pretty damn stupid just standin' 'round watchin' ev'ryone else have a good time." The joke Kurt made didn't appeal to her much.

Kitty looked at her then to Kurt and back to Rogue. It appeared as though a light bulb had clicked on in Kitty's head. "Well, that's easy to fix. All it'll take is one little touch, remember, it worked before. And you are, like, such a great dancer."

"Yeah it did work. But now I'm not, that was you." Rogue protested.

"Still, it worked and you had an awesome time." Kurt stated.

Rogue seemed to be considering it but said, " I don't know. I'll have ta think 'bout it, OK. There is still loads of time."

"Only a month." Kitty retorted.

"That's plenty of time." Rogue told her.

"Yeah, but that's a month until the prom. We only have about two weeks until tickets go on sale." Kitty pointed out.

Rogue sighed again. "I have to think 'bout it. Please, let's drop this for now."

Just as she had said that a voice came from the entrance of the room. "Whatta you wanna drop, _Cherie_?" Obviously, it was Remy.

"Nothin'." Rogue lied.

But at the same time Kitty said, "We're trying to get her to go to the prom with us. But I don't think it's working."

"Really? I don't believe you'd wanna miss out on dat, _mon amour_." Remy said.

"Yeah, like ya went ta yours." Rogue said sarcastically.

"Remy never even went t' school. Never had de chance de way my childhood was. But if I had I wouldn't of missed it." he told her.

"I'd like to see ya narrow it down to one date." Rogue said with more sarcasm. "For my case, I don't have a date and I don't dance."

Kitty started, "But remember . . . "

Rogue cut across her. "No."

Remy looked interested and he walked over and sat beside Rogue on the sofa arm. She looked at him and he wore a flirtatious expression and winked at her. Then he said, "What did you say no to, de prom or what Kitty was 'bout t' say?"

"Both."

"What was she goin' t' say?" Remy asked. He knew he was making Rogue even more cross but he loved how she looked when she was frustrated.

"Why does it even matter?" Rogue said through gritted teeth.

"Whoa, calm down, _Chere_. Remy jus' curious, dat's all."

"Fine, she was goin' ta say that I could touch her and get some of her personality so I could dance. I've done it in the past and it works well, but . . . " Rogue explained and Remy cut her off.

"It sounds like a good idea. At least den you could have fun." he said trying to sound convincing.

Once again Rogue sighed. She didn't know what to do. On one hand she wanted to go and on the other she dreaded the whole idea.

"Let's say I decided ta go, what the hell would I even wear? I'm not a dress person, let alone gowns, and I'd probably have to wear something frilly and disgusting."

"Not necessarily, you can find dresses that aren't too girly. I even saw one when I was checking for dresses that I know you'd love." Kitty stated with excitement.

Rogue was really considering it. Maybe they were right. Maybe she'd completely regret not going. And they'd only keep badgering her until she gave in anyway. Sometimes she was weak when it came to her friends, and family.

"Alright, fine, I'll go. Are y'all happy now." she said trying to sound pissed but they all could tell differently. She was somewhat excited.

"Sweet! You and I can go dress shopping!" Kitty squealed.

"Could ya turn it down a notch, Kit?" Rogue said. "When should we do this?"

"The sooner the better." Kurt answered for Kitty.

"Are ya goin' ta dress shop with us?" Rogue said to Kurt and Remy.

Remy said nothing. At first all he did was smirk, as usual. He was deep in thought for a bit. "I hope de dress _mon cherie _is gettin' is revealin'." he commented and he looked Rogue up and down. She shot him an evil look that made he smirk even more.

"No way. I'm a guy. I'll be getting a tuxedo. But I don't know what would look good on me." Kurt said. He then added, "And just for the record, Remy, I'd prefer not to see my sister in something too skimpy. No offense, Rogue." he shuddered at the thought. She was gorgeous and attractive but she was his sister.

"None taken." she replied.

"Well maybe the Professor could tweak around with your image inducer and make you look like a girl again." Kitty said with a wicked grin and Rogue and Remy laughed, even though Remy had no idea what Kitty meant.

"I don't think so." Kurt replied, blushing.

Everyone laughed at his reaction. Since Remy had no clue Kitty and Rogue filled him in. Kurt sat there embarrassed nearly to death.

"Back to the subject, please." Kurt said. "You girls will have each other to help out with what works and what doesn't, who will I get to help me? I can't see Logan doing it. And Scott's busy most of the time."

Remy raised his eyebrows and said, "If you wouldn't mind Remy could be of assistance."

"You?" Rogue said.

"Yeah, _moi_." he answered. "Is dere someone else wit' dat name?"

Rogue knew Remy had excellent taste in clothes. He always looked sexy. She knew he'd make Kurt looked wonderful.

Kurt thought about it for a few moments and finally came to a conclusion. "OK. I guess it couldn't hurt. You do know how to dress yourself." he too knew Remy always looked great.

"_Merveilleux_." Remy said. But he wasn't only volunteering to be nice, he had an idea that would blow Rogue's mind. He was going to tell Kitty and Kurt but he wasn't going to share it with her. He wanted to surprise her. And he figured Kitty and Kurt wouldn't have a problem with it.

They all sat it silence for a few minutes or so. Rogue ended up breaking the silence.

"Well, Kitty, if we're to do this I'd rather get it over with now. I'll go and get what I need." Rogue got up and left the room.

"Great. Me too." Kitty stood and was about to leave but Remy stopped her.

"Wait, I have t' talk t' you two 'bout somet'in'. If it's OK." he said. "It won't take long." he added.

Kitty and Kurt looked at one another then to Remy. They both agreed to hear what he had to say. Kitty had told Rogue she'd meet up with her in a about five minutes. She asked Rogue to grab her purse for her.

Once Remy had both of their attention he said, "I was t'inkin' dat I would escort Rogue to de prom. But I want it t' be a secret until dat night."

"You want to take her?" Kurt exclaimed, wide eyed and his mouth dropped open.

Kitty wore a similar expression. "Yeah, but how are you going to do that?"

Remy smirked and told them, "_Oui_. An' I'm sure de Professor'll help work dat one out. Wouldn't he?"

"Perhaps. Are you sure about this?" Kitty said still shocked.

"Yeah, 'course I am." Remy said.

"Is that the only reason you wanna help me find a tuxedo?" Kurt asked feeling a little irritated.

"No, no, I woulda helped you either way. But I also will need one." Remy stated. He would have helped even if he wasn't thinking about taking Rogue. But that played a great part in his assistance.

"This changes plans some." Kitty stated.

"Not really, we can still go together." Kurt said. Then he eyed Remy. "Nothing funny. I like you, Remy, but I don't trust you all the way. Especially with my sister."

"I'll try t' b'have." Remy stated, putting his hands up.

Kitty thought while they spoke to one another. She finally said, "But now it'll be like we're dates, Kurt."

"So, is that a problem?" Kurt replied feeling somewhat hurt.

"Oh no, it's not. I didn't mean it to sound rude or anything like that. Who cares, like, maybe we'll just be dates." Kitty said.

Kurt smiled awkwardly and his cheeks turned purplish. "Sure."

"So . . . you don't t'ink it's a bad idea for _moi_ t' take Rogue?" Remy asked once Kitty and Kurt were done talking amongst themselves.

"No, it's a great idea." Kitty said to him.

Kurt looked kind of unsure but he said, "Yeah, I agree. Where's the harm. Just talk to Professor X and I'm sure he'll arrange it for you. But remember what I said."

"_Parfait_." Remy exclaimed. "I will, but you remember, dis is between us. An' eventually de Professor. I only hope Logan won't throw a fit. I could care less, b'cause no matter what I'm takin' 'er."

Remy, Kitty and Kurt met up with Rogue. Since Rogue could ride a motorbike and so could Remy they split up and decided to stick near each other. Kurt went with Remy and Kitty went with Rogue. It was an odd feeling for Kurt and Remy nevertheless.

* * *

Hours had passed and Logan had informed everyone at dinner how the hearing went. They were all quite happy for him. Most of the guys, except Remy, shook his hand and congratulated him. Although, Remy did congratulate him. The girls did the same but they hugged him instead of shaking his hand. He felt odd with all of the attention. It was a good feeling though. Of course, Ororo hugged him and kissed him. The older students "awed" while the younger ones "wooed". Laura was the only one who remained silent. She had a hint of a smile but nothing more. She really didn't know how to react. Then after dinner Jamie startled her by giving her a hug. She looked confused. Eventually she returned his move with a unsure air. The others just patted her on the back for they didn't want to push her or make her feel any more awkward. Jamie and her were closer so he didn't even think before he acted. But all was well.

As everyone was leaving the kitchen Rogue and Remy were the last two to exit. Upon leaving Rogue looked at Laura, "Just ta let ya know, Logan is very over-protective. Take my warnin'? Be cautious 'bout gettin' caught with any boys." Rogue was only picking but Laura looked at her strangely. Logan looked unnerved by Rogue's words.

"OK. But you better watch yourself as well, I'm very much like him." she told Rogue with a wicked grin.

Rogue smiled, "Don't be too much like him." she joked.

"Enough, Stripes or it's extra 'Logan Sessions' for ya." he realized she was only kidding around.

"No thanks. In this case, 'the more the merrier' doesn't fit." she said then she hugged him, kissed him on the check and her and Remy left the room.

At the same time away from the mansion Jean and Scott had got done with dinner and a movie. They were now heading off; Scott knew about a small wooded area that happened to be secluded. Few cars passed by that area in the day so by night it was nearly deserted.

He drove for a short while. As doing so he and Jean discussed things about the movie they had seen, which was Hellboy II: The Golden Arm. They had a hard time choosing but both agreed on that one.

Jean bit her bottom lip and stared at Scott as he drove. "Are we almost there, hon?" she asked.

He glanced over at her and she wore a sultry expression. "Um, yeah. It's right up the road a half mile and around a bend."

And he was right, within moments they had arrived to the secluded area by sparse but concealing woods. He drove into the area and parked beyond a group of trees, just to assure their complete privacy. Their luck would be that someone would drive by and see them.

Scott turned the ignition off and gazed over at Jean who looked as though she were to attack him, sexually. He grinned. "I see you're ready."

"Oh yes."

"Well then bring it on." he joked.

Jean stared at him with passion-filled eyes. They haven't had any time completely alone. And now they were indeed all to themselves. She couldn't wait to make love with him again.

They didn't even say another word as she leaned towards him and began to kiss him as if it were their last time. Still without speaking they moved into the back and went back to kissing fiercely. She hiked up her skirt and straddled over him, every so often grinding against him. Their tongues danced together and their hands wander all over one anothers' bodies, sending chills of excitement throughout their being. They started to breathe heavily as they got deeper and deeper into making out. Soon she was running her fingers over his covered chest and down until she reached the hem of his shirt. There she pulled it up and he helped her lift it over his head. She giggled some as it got stuck midway. In no time it was off. She kissed, licked and even sucked his neck then his chest.

Next her shirt came off and he mimicked her moves by licking, kissing and sucking her neck and then her cleavage. In short time her bra came off and he focused on her breasts. The rest of their clothes eventually came off and were all tossed onto the floor of the car.

Once they made out more, now naked, Jean got off of him and laid back on the seat. Scott kissed her and licked her all over until he reached her pelvic area. Once there he played around, alternating between his fingers and his tongue. She ran her fingers through his hair and every so often clasped her hands in it. Her heavy breathing became moans as he continued to pleasure her. It wasn't long before she climaxed. She sat up and they kissed and then she took over.

Jean began to slowly, seductively, moved her lips down his body until she reached her destination. Once there she positioned herself and slid her hand and mouth over Scott's erection. He played around with her long hair and from time to time, between breathing heavily, he'd moan. But before he could climaxed he stopped her.

"Wait. I want this to last a while longer." he told her, trying to catch his breath.

She grinned at him and the two went back to making out. They fooled around for nearly twenty minutes. After that Scott reached down into his pants pocket and pulled out a condom. He unwrapped it and put it in place, throwing the wrapper in a small trash bag in his car. He then leaned down over Jean and they kissed passionately once more, savoring every bit of it.

They were going crazy, unmistakeably from all of the messing around. They were turned on so badly that there was no way they'd be able to hold back any longer. With a few more kisses from Jean's lips , down her neck and to her breast, Scott entered her slowly. Of course this time was much easier but he was still gentle. Soon he was moving at a steady pace, a little faster than at first. They went at it in that position for a while and then switched so that Jean was on top of him, facing him. Every now and then she'd lean down and they'd kiss while she moved up and down. He'd cup her breasts in both hands and gently squeeze them.

Nearly two hours had passed and the couple had made love in as many positions as possible. Right now Jean was partially laying on the seat, her right leg on it and her left bent off of the seat, with her back slightly arched so that her behind was raised some. Scott was kneeling behind her and pumping at a steady, but much faster, pace. Soon they'd be reaching their climaxes.

Scott bent over her so that they're bodies were pressed together and he kissed and licked her shoulders and the back of her neck, continuing with his movement. He held onto the car seat with his right hand and reached under Jean with his left. He cupped it over her left breast and squeezed, causing her to moan more than she already was. He went from breathing heavy to moaning as Ecstasy took over his own body. His hand slid down from her breast, over her stomach and to her pelvis. He then began to rub as he moved even faster.

Their bodies were now slamming together. They were moaning loudly, with no worries knowing no one could hear them. In a matter of seconds Jean screamed and clutched the seat with her left hand and her breast with her right hand, she had climaxed. Seconds later Scott met his own. He moaned and squeezed her hips.

Jean turned around to face him, both of them panting and sweating, and Scott slowly let himself fall onto her. They laid there holding one another. They kissed for a bit then Scott rested his head on her shoulder and nuzzled against her neck, at times gently kissing the soft skin. Jean stroked his hair.

In almost an hour they got up and got dressed. Minutes later they were back up front, looking at each other with satisfied smiles.

"So, I guess it's off home now." Jean said.

"Yep. But at least we had hours of time to ourselves." Scott said back.

They smiled again and leaned toward each other for another kiss. Even though they've been dating for a long, long time and were now engaged they still couldn't get enough of each other. If they could they felt they'd never leave the others side.

* * *

When Jean and Scott got home it was somewhat late. Most were at least in their rooms, if not in bed. The couple headed to the kitchen first to get a quick drink.

The light was off so they assumed nobody was there. Jean turned the light on and jumped when she saw Remy sitting at the table. He had apparently been staring into the darkness; perhaps pondering something. But when the light came on he nearly started himself.

Remy looked from Jean to Scott and he could tell they had had a 'wonderful time'. He simply said, "Did you have a good time?"

Jean and Scott were both looking at Remy, to each other and then back to him. Jean spoke: "We sure did."

Scott nodded. "Yep."

"It sure looks it." Remy replied with his smirk that now became all too familiar to everyone at the mansion.

There was an odd silence for some time. Jean and Scott felt slightly uneasy with the acknowledgement that Remy could tell of what they'd done. But they, in truth, didn't really care. It was normal and they weren't strangers by far.

"So . . . how come you're not with Rogue? You two seem to spend loads of time together lately." Jean said conversationally.

Remy gazed at her for a moment. "Well, Kitty an' Kurt, with some encouragement from _moi_, talked her inta goin' to de prom. It was tough but she caved in."

Scott and Jean smiled and looked at each other. They never, even in their wildest dreams, imagined Rogue would even consider the prom. But she is a little different now. Especially since she can touch.

"Wow." Jean and Scott said in unison.

"Yeah - wow." Remy retorted.

More silence fell upon them. Even though they all lived in the same building and were on the same team, the three of them rarely shared conversations. Jean and Remy talked but Scott and Remy didn't much. One reason was that they didn't see eye-to-eye. Scott had excepted Remy to the team but he still didn't trust him fully. Although, unlike Logan, he didn't start fights almost daily with Remy.

Scott, out of curiosity, asked: "Is anyone taking her? I mean that was probably dumb to ask but who knows . . . "

Jean had noticed Remy's expression and kind of had an idea to what he was going to say. One, because she knew how much closer he and Rogue had become and two, his thoughts were so loud on the subject she couldn't help but hear them. However, she remained silent to allow him to share anything he was willing to share on his own.

Remy stared ahead for a while before he answered. "Um, if you promise t' keep it quiet I can tell you somet'ing."

They both agreed not to say a single word to anyone so Remy went on. "I was plannin' on escorin' _mon cherie _to de prom. I told Kitty an' Kurt 'bout dis an' dey thought it t' be a good idea. Jus' said I'd have t' see de Professor an' have 'im arrange it so I'm legally allowed dere."

Jean didn't seem too shocked that Remy wanted to take her. Truthfully, Scott didn't either. It was very weird but also very sweet.

Jean spoke first. " I think it's a great idea. And, as I already said, I will not speak of this to anyone. You better hope that Kitty keeps quiet."

"Oh, she will." Remy said.

"I'm not so certain that it's a good idea." Scott said. "What if you hurt her or something happens there and you use your powers?"

"Rest assured, _mon ami_, Remy won't do a t'ing t' harm her or anyone else." Remy stated, a slight bit of irritation pulsed through him_. "Please don't be like Wolverine."_ Remy thought.

Jean gave Scott a look. After a minute he turned back to Remy. "Look, I didn't mean anything by that. I only know how things can get out of hand. Who knows what could happen." he did his best.

"All will be well." Remy then got up and pushed his chair in. "_Bonne nuit_." As he walked past Jean he smirked at her. He had his usual flirtatious air as he said, "How 'bout kiss b'fore bed?"

Scott appeared to be discomposed. He glared at Remy momentarily. Once Remy noticed the look he was getting he said, "I was kiddin' 'round. Loosen up, _homme_.

Nevertheless, before Remy left the room he planted a peck on Jean's cheek. Then he looked at Scott and grinned, he had to see his expression before departing.

Even though it wasn't a huge deal, Scott was agitated. No man would like another man to flirt with or touch their girl. And no woman would like it either.

Scott scowled. "How dare you. I have half a mind to blast your ass as far as my powers will allow." he said harshly.

"Sorry, Remy couldn't resist." With that said he strode out and was gone.

Jean felt oddly. Remy flirting with her was nothing new but he hasn't done it much lately. And this time Scott was present. She knew he only kissed her on the cheek to tick Scott off and she thought it was kind of funny. Remy's intentions proved right for Scott was flustered.

Jean stood in front of him. "He's right, loosen up. It was harmless, honey."

"Yeah, but still I don't like him flirting around with you. Let alone, kissing you." he said bluntly.

"It was only on the cheek." Jean pointed out.

"Still, I'm not kissing Rogue, am I." Scott said trying to sound angry but it didn't work.

She grinned, "If you want to even the odds, go on. Give Rogue a peck on the cheek."

"Ha-ha. She'd probably hit me."

"I doubt it." she said. "But she may faint."

Scott couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, let's just forget this." he paused then added, "But if it occurs again he's toast."

"Okay."

They then got a bottle of water out and shared it until it was empty. Then they headed upstairs. On the way up they decided on taking a shower together before going to bed. After their nice shower, and some light making out in the shower, they went to Scott's room and went to sleep.

* * *

At the same time, Remy had already sneaked into Rogue's and kitty's room. They were both fast asleep at that time. He had a strange urge to just cuddle up with Rogue and go to sleep, not caring what the outcome would be in the morning. Regardless, he concluded that it would be best to sneak out before he was seen. If Kitty would see him, who knows what she'd think. And he wasn't really wanting another clash with Logan.

As Remy closed the door, as soundless as possible, he sunk into thoughts which seemed to be unbounded. He seriously couldn't believe the way he's been feeling. He knew now, whether he could tell her or not, that he was either in love with her or still falling. Remy was afraid to tell her but he often tossed the thought of revealing himself around in his head. What convinced him that he loved her was the simple fact that he felt he could hardly breathe whenever she wasn't near him and that he would die if he'd lose her. And whether or not he knew it, Rogue felt exactly the same.

Remy was now standing, quietly, over Rogue's bed staring at her sleeping form. He stared for a long minute then slowly, and carefully, he pulled her covers aside and slid under them. She had been on her back but she stirred some and turned to her right side, facing away from him. He was glad she hadn't awoken because he'd probably have scared her, like before, and he'd get hit or something. Not to mention, Kitty may have woke up.

He covered himself and snuggled up so close to her that you couldn't see where her body ended and his began. His left arm snaked around her waist and his face was near the back of her head and he could smell her hair, which smelt fruity. He took it in. It was almost intoxicating.

Remy whispered softly into her ear, although she couldn't hear him. He said, "_Je t'aimerai toujours, mon cherie_. He then placed a kiss on the top of her head. Shortly afterwards his eyelids grew heavy and he was fast asleep.

* * *

**Translations**: (since I've been adding in more French)

_Mon amour_ my love

_Mon cherie_ my darling (also: dear, honey, sweetheart and etc.)

_Merveilleux_ marvellous

_Parfait_ perfect

_Mon ami_ my friend

_Bonne nuit_

_Homme_ man

_Je t'aimerai toujours, mon cherie _I will forever love you, my darling

I'm sure you know that _oui _means "yes" and _moi _means "me". If not you do know - lol.

XXXXXX

_Well, there was my new chapter. I hope everyone liked it. I also hope that I mentioned all of the French words. I've been using some that I remember and looking up the others. If I forgot any, let me know if you don't know it's meaning:) Anyway, I'll start working on my next chapter as soon as I can. _

_I want to give thanks to all of my readers and reviewers:) Once more, a special thanks to Slickboy444, for he's been helping me get everything the proper formation:) For now later and take care:) _


	12. Different Procedures

**Chapter Eleven**

Early the next morning Remy stealthy crawled out of Rogue's bed and placed her covers the way they were before he had laid there with her. In seconds he was out of the room and shutting the door in the same manor. He turned around and almost yelled in surprise. Laura was walking down the hall. She gave him a strange expression.

"Why were you in there?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

_"Oh great, a miniature, female version of Wolverine." _He thought. "Nothin' _tout petite_." He said.

She scowled. "What did you call me?" She had the slightest idea that he didn't insult her.

He hesitated and then said: "Little one."

Laura looked quite irritated. "Don't call me that. I'm not a baby."

"I didn't mean t' offend you." He explained.

She thought for a moment. "Fine, apology accepted. But, what were you doing in Rogue's room? You shouldn't have been in there."

"Look, I jus' went in dere an' fell asleep wit' her. She didn't even know I was dere, neither did Kitty. Let's jus' keep dis b'tween you an' moi . . . me." He added to the end so she knew what the word meant.

Laura eyed him suspiciously. Due to the fact that she was indeed Logan's clone she too had a instinctive will to protect Rogue. Even though she barely knew Rogue or Remy. She, nevertheless, knew enough. "Why would you be going to bed in there? You have your own room." She said. She was trying to make this as difficult as possible.

Remy couldn't believe she was interrogating him, for the most part. "I . . . uh . . . why does it even matter?" He did not know how to answer.

"Because you shouldn't be sneaking into people's rooms in the middle of the night." She said crossly. "What exactly did you think you'd get out of it?" She questioned.

_"What is dis, twenty questions?"_Remy thought, however he said: "It caused no harm. B'sides, I did it b'fore." He thought again, _"An' I got caught dat time as well."_

"That's not the point. And you didn't really answer my question, did you?" She stated. She wasn't showing any signs of letting up.

He was getting a tad bit irritable. "Non, I didn't. But listen, I can't explain why. All I know is dat I did it. I didn't do anyt'ing wrong."

"I may be young, but I'm far from being stupid. There has to be a better explanation." She pressed on, knowing she was getting under his skin.

"I didn't say you were. An' you're right, dere is. But, as I said, I don't know how t' explain it. Nothin' happened. An' it didn't hurt anyone." He knew why he snuck in and went to sleep with Rogue, but he couldn't tell Laura. He couldn't, at this time, even tell Rogue. This whole experience was extremely uncomfortable and strange. He decided to add: "All I wanted was a moment with my cherie, dat's all."

"I don't understand. What kind of moment could you have when she was sleeping?" Laura was confused to the highest level. She didn't comprehend feelings or reasons to why people did such things.

Remy was bombarded by emotions. He felt frustrated yet there was a hint of nervousness. To be frank, he was speechless. And for a long minute or so he just stood there with Laura staring him down like a wolf cornering its prey.

Finally he spoke. "It's,um, not somet'in' I can speak of easily. Uh, let's jus' say dat I care a great deal 'bout Rogue an' I wanted t' be wit' her, regardless to de fact dat she wasn't awake. I don't know how else t' put it."

"So . . . you're saying you snuck in there because you care for her and wanted to be with her, even though she didn't know you were there?" She was bemused.

"Yep, I know it sounds crazy." He said, anxious for this conversation to cease.

Her features didn't alter but she felt that this would go on forever if she didn't give in soon. "I still don't apprehend what you mean; it seems like nonsense to me, although I'll take your word." She was virtually emotionless for a time, then a hard expression swept over her face. "It had better be sincere."

"Thanks. It is. An', since you already put me through the wringer yourself, could you please not bring dis little incident up t' Wolverine?" He asked. He was really hoping the questioning was truly over. He felt awkward having to answer those questions. Especially considering they were from her.

Laura had to think thoroughly for a bit. "As you wish. To be honest myself, I know that you're being true. If you'd have done something I'd pick up the scent. Keep that in mind, Cajun." She said, poking him in the chest with her right index finger. She heard Logan call Remy that name and figured she'd give it a try. She was very pleased as she walked away.

As she walked away, Remy watched her, cocking an eyebrow. _"Hmm, oui, definitely a female Wolverine."_ He thought. Then he couldn't help but grin and shake his head. He then quickly, but quietly, headed for his own room. This time unnoticed. Thankfully.

* * *

Later that morning everyone was going about their usual things. Except Remy, after earlier, felt uneasy around Laura. It would, no doubt, wear off. But now all that occurred was still fresh. All in all, he was felling good.

Kitty wasn't much different. Only now she kept going on and on about the prom. Rogue was kind of getting agitated by all f the fuss over it. Kurt didn't say much. But really, no one could for Kitty spoke for everyone.

Jean and Scott were happy, overly so. It was prominent that most would pick up on why. No one there was that dense.

It wasn't too long before all had to scatter in their own directions, so to speak. They more-less went in their typical groups. The high school students, the younger ones, left. Kitty and Kurt went shortly afterwards. Then finally came Rogue, which Remy wanted to ride along with her again. So they got their helmets on and revved up their bikes and headed out.

At the same time, Jean and Scott were talking in the rec room. No one would bother them at that particular moment because everyone else was busy. Professor X was in his study and Hank and he were going over numerous things. Ororo was teaching her class, small but nevertheless chaotic at times. And Logan had Warren and Piotr in the Danger Room. This time he knew Remy wouldn't be there. He said he'd just fill him in when he gets the others together. Logan had been wanting to get the new members of the team to work with the older ones again - including Laura.

Anyhow, Jean and Scott were sitting beside one another on the sofa. She had three classes and they were spread out, so her and Scott would hardly get to see each other. They decided to spend what little time they could spare together now.

"It sucks that I won't really get to see you until tonight." Jean told him, unhappily.

"I know. But at least we will see each other later." Scott said trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah. I just hate these kinds of days. It seems the closer we get the less time we have." She said.

He cupped his hands over her cheeks. "We'll be fine, baby." He then leaned over and kissed her, but it wasn't anything major.

Jean looked at him, half wishing she could see his eyes. "I know we will. I can't wait until my classes are over for the summer."

"That's not too far from now. Then we'll have nearly all the time in the world." Scott told her.

She now smiled. "Yeah. All our main priorities then will be Danger Room training and maybe a battle or two." She laughed.

"Yay, and it also means extra 'Logan Sessions'." He added with a grin.

She grinned back. "But you know you can't live without those. Though he may be harsh at times and push everyone to the limit, he means well. And it always pays off in the long run."

"So true. I wonder what we'd do without him? I couldn't even imagine. Everybody would probably be lazy." He stated with a grin toward the end.

"Oh, I doubt that with you as the leader. You're not too far behind him when it comes to training." She said truthfully.

Scott looked at her with a raised eyebrow, even though he knew she was right. "I can't deny it." He smiled. "But, am I really as uptight as they say I am?" He was serious now.

Jean had to think for a moment. She didn't want to upset him, yet she wanted to be honest. "Well, how can I put this . . . I'd have to say 'yes'. Not all of the time. When we're together you're totally different from how you are when you're giving commands." She hoped she didn't seem too severe.

He sighed. "I never realize this. I just take on my duties and do what I find necessary."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, it defines who you are. You're a very loving person, but tough and to the point when you must be. Just as Logan's sessions pay off, no matter how hard they are, your leadership falls in that same category." She said with constancy.

Again he smiled. "As I've said about a million times or more, you never fail to amaze me. If not for you I have no idea what would become of me."

Scott leaned towards Jean and their lips touched again, this time there was more to it. She returned his move without hesitation. They had their arms around each other and held on so tight, which caused her to almost sit on his lap.

In seconds the kiss deepened as their tongues danced together. They didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable, if anyone would happen to pop up and see them. Slowly, they had been eluding those fears. Their relationship has been blossoming and those concerns faded. Everyone knew they were serious.

The young couple kissed, passionately, for what felt like a lifetime. Neither of them wanted it to end. But sadly they eventually had to pull apart.

Jean looked at her watch. "Dammit. I have to go, honey." She told him.

"Okay. I'll be waiting for you when you get home." He said back with a small smile. He kissed her again.

They embraced for a short moment and then she kissed him once more before she got up. She unwillingly departed, leaving Scott where he was.

* * *

At Bayville High Rogue and Remy had arrived minutes ago. They had parked their motorcycles in the parking lot and sat on a curb close to them. There was still about ten minutes before Rogue had to go into the school.

Rogue was a bit thrilled that she didn't have to listen to Kitty go on about the prom for a while. She knew Kitty was excited, and strangely Rogue was too. She'll be really excited come prom night when she discovers that Remy's taking her.

Remy broke the silence. "You never showed _moi_your dress. Did de one Kitty saw work for you?"

Rogue's happiness fractionally diminished. "Why do ya have ta bring that up?" She snapped.

"What? Remy jus' wanna know, Chere. Is dat a problem?" He was taken back by her sudden outburst.

She sat there mentally hitting herself. _"He only asked a question. It's not like he's been on that subject constantly since yesterday. Chill out." _She thought and she even cursed at herself. She looked over at Remy, who had recovered but had a odd expression upon his face. "I didn't mean ta bite your head off." She apologized.

He grinned. "_Tout est bien_. But are you gonna tell me?"

"I guess so. Yeah, the dress was perfect." She stated. "I really am sorry." She still felt bad for snapping at him.

"It's okay. I should be used to it by now." He smirked and Rogue playfully punched him in the upper arm.

"Shut up. Or should I say: _Callar_?" She simply repeated "shut up" in French.

Remy looked at Rogue. "Make me."

"I'd rather not, Cajun." She said grinning.

The two became silent again and she turned her head when she heard a bird chirp in a nearby tree. Remy was staring at Rogue with awe. To him she was alluring and ravishingly flawless. He never wanted to take his eyes off of her.

Rogue glanced back and took notice to his leer. "Why are ya starin' at me like that, Swamp Rat?"

He snapped out of it. "Huh? I wasn't starin' at you, _mon cherie_. I was lookin' past you t' see what you were lookin' at."

"Right. Then why were ya droolin'?"

"Remy wasn't droolin'." He said, knowing he was caught red-handed and nothing he said would change that.

"Ya were." She said staring into his eyes, almost hypnotizingly as his eyes burned into her own.

Remy pulled her towards him and in an instant he pressed his lips to hers. She was somewhat in shock by his sudden movement, however she didn't move away. She simply left herself fall against him and she felt as if they were melting together.

Remy slid his tongue into her mouth and she mocked his move. He wanted to take her then and there but he new better, for many reasons. One was they were in broad daylight near a high school and the other was that she wasn't ready for that step. Hell, they weren't even technically together yet. He shoved those feelings down but kept probing her mouth. They were nearly making out, partially unaware of their surroundings.

They ended up snapping out if it with a start as Kitty and Kurt came over. Kitty said, "Rogue, it's time."

Rogue and Remy both cursed mentally. Neither of them wanted to separate. They looked at each other briefly then Remy stood up, helping Rogue up with him.

"I guess I'll see ya after school." She said to him.

"_Oui_. If you'd like, Remy could meet you again." He stated hopefully.

"Um, sure. Later then." She couldn't help but still one more kiss before they parted. This one wasn't as passionate though.

"_Oui, a bientot, mon amour_." He then got on his bike, revved it up and rode off.

Rogue watched him until he was out of focus. Kitty grabbed her hand. "Like, come on. We're going to be late."

Kitty didn't seem upset about what she had seen. She knew they've done things. Kurt knew too, but he wasn't sure how to take what he saw. Notwithstanding, he kept his thoughts to himself. He, after all, felt what brothers feel. He wasn't her real brother, obviously, but he felt the need and urge to protect her. To him she was the only real family he had. Even though Mystique was his blooded mother he felt less close to her than he did Rogue, "_If only she _was_ a mother to us_". He thought resentfully.

The three entered the school to start their day. None of them entirely wanted to be there. Unfortunately they had to attend. Rogue was quite happy that in less than a month she'd be out of there.

* * *

At the mansion Ororo had finished her lesson and Hank had taken Laura and Jamie outside for his lesson. Since Scott was bored he went with them to assist anywhere it may be needed. Professor Xavier remained in his study and he was keeping himself busy until Remy returned. He had told the Professor that he needed to ask him something. Remy figured he had better do it as soon as possible. Given Xavier's telepathic abilities he had already had a hint of what Remy wanted to talk about. Not to mention, he had also seen how close Rogue and Remy have become. All the same, he thought it best to not allow him to know that he picked up on some of it. Piotr and Angel were beat from Logan's Danger Room session. They had both went upstairs afterwards. The two were in need of a nice shower, but Angel told Piotr to go first for he knew he'd take longer. He always did due to his wings. Logan stayed behind in the Danger Room for an extra workout, as usual.

At the moment Ororo was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea. She was hoping to see Logan, but she knew she'd have to wait a bit. Even if he didn't train others he always went through a program every morning himself. She didn't complain for it kept him in excellent shape. Of course, everybody there was in great shape.

Ororo's peaceful thoughts were interrupted as Remy came into the kitchen. Before seeing Xavier he wanted a cup of coffee. So he strode into the kitchen. He wore his trademark smirk.

Once he saw Ororo he looked at her and said, "_Bonjour, belle plante_." When he saw the confused expression on her face he said, "I said, 'good morning, beautiful woman'."

"Oh, thank you. Good morning to you as well." She was flattered, even though she knew he spoke to practically every woman that way; he was still very charming.

After he pured his coffee he sat down across from her at the table. "I hope Logan doesn't come in here and t'ink dat I'm makin' moves on his girl."

"I doubt he will. If he enters just don't say or do anything to make him think otherwise." She stated.

"No worries, _Chere_. It's tempting, b'cause you're so attractive and beautiful, but Remy'll be a good boy." She slightly blushed, making him grin. Then he took a sip from his cup. "B'sides, I gotta go see de Professor here soon. He's waitin' for me."

"Why?" She was curious.

"If I tell you can you keep it a secret?" He asked her.

"Of course. You have my word." She told him.

Remy made sure no one else was near, for he didn't want the wrong person to find out and blab it. Although, no one there at the moment would do that. They were alone though. He took a deep breath. "OK, I'm takin' Rogue to de prom. At least, I hope to. She doesn't know. But I've told Kitty and Kurt. An' den I told Jean an' Scott. I know I can trust them not t' say anyt'ing."

Ororo was surprised, somewhat. "That's wonderful. So you need to speak to Charles to see if he can get you permission to escort her?"

"Quite right. I hope it'll work out. I want it t' be a night she'll never forget." he said with a yet another grin.

"It's supposed to be. She'll be completely astounded." She said smiling.

"_Oui_, especially since she t'inks she's goin' wit' Kitty an' Kurt as a group. We'll still be goin' together, but I'll be her date an' those two are goin' together." He looked a tad bit excited. Even if it was completely new ground for him to stand on.

"How nice." She exclaimed. "Good luck. But I'm positive that everything will turn out well. Charles is great. You're in good hands."

"Hopefully you're right." Remy said and he finished his coffee. "Well, it's been a pleasure talkin' to you, Chere. Unfortunately, Remy must go." He then reached over, took her hand in his and planted a kiss on the back of it.

Ororo looked stunned briefly. "Oh, yes. It was the same for me."

He then got up, pushed in his chair, placed his mug in the dish washer and left the room. Ororo stay seated. Her tea was gone but she was still slightly overwhelmed by Remy's adulation. He was definitely a gentlemen and he sure knew how to put out the charm. But so did Logan when he wanted to. Ororo had brought out a surprisingly charming side to Logan.

* * *

Remy was now standing outside of Professor X's study. He was about to knock when a telepathic voice entered his mind. _"You may come in, Remy."_

It, by far, was the voice of Xavier. Remy still wasn't completely used to that; however, upon living at the institute it happened quite a lot. Remy opened the door, closed it and walked over to the Professor's desk.

"Good morning. You may take a seat if you'd like." Said Xavier.

"_Oui_, thank you, Professor." He took a seat across from him.

Professor X placed his fingers together, forming a steeple. "Now, what is it that you need to discuss with me?"

Remy, for some odd reason, felt nervous. But he spoke. "I was hopin' t' take Rogue to de prom. I heard dat someone who didn't attend a school or someone who had but graduated would still be able t' do such a t'ing. Is dat true?"

"That's a very nice thing for you to do. I'm sure she'll be thrilled." Xavier said. "To answer your question, yes, that is true. And, for me, it will be a simple task. I can negotiate quite well. Dont' worry, I'll be able to get you permission. At least, I'm sure it won't be a problem."

"I really hope dis works. It would mean so much t' her." Remy stated.

"Oh, I know. Have some faith in me. I'll get on it right away. And don't fear, I won't blow your secret." Professor Xavier had sensed that very thought in Remy's mind.

Remy grinned. "_Merci_."

"I'll inform you as soon as I get all of the arrangements settled."

"Great! Thanks again." Remy said then he got up. But he couldn't help but ask, "Will it be soon?"

Charles laughed, "It will be very soon."

Remy nodded and exited the study. Xavier sat behind his desk for a moment and then he picked up the phone and dialed the number for Bayville High.

The phone rang a few times before being answered. "Hello. How may I help you?" Came a female voice.

"May I speak with Principal Kelly?" Professor X asked.

"Sure. Hold on, please." Said the female voice.

After a couple minutes the principal picked up the phone. "Principal Kelly here. Firstly, may I ask who this is?"

The Professor knew how anti-mutant this man was so he had to be cunning and work out a deal. "This is Professor Charles Xavier."

"What in God's name do you want?" His voice quickly roughened.

"Just to ask something of you."

"Well, then, get on with it." Said the principal impatiently.

Xavier had to think. "Alright, a student of mine whom is attending your school is a senior this year."

"And what about that should concern me? Other than the fact that one less mutant will be attending here?" He said harshly.

Professor X kept his cool, as he usually does. "There is a young man whom would like to escort her; however, he doesn't attend your school and he hasn't. In fact, he's older - 21 - and he wasn't originally from this state. But to get to the point, would it be possible for this to happen?"

Principal Kelly wasn't happy with the idea. He had to take moments to think it over. "Hmm, I don't know Professor Xavier. Is he a mutant?"

"Yes, but I assure you there will be no trouble. You have my word. And you can trust that if there is any he will answer to me." He was firm but kept a kind air.

The principal had to think again. "Do you swear?"

"I do. But I am positive everything will be fine. It's only a senior prom, lasting about two hours."

"Fine. I hope you are right. There have been many incidents occurring within this school due to mutants."

"I understand, although, most of those weren't started by my students. None of the ones who have caused that havoc attend there anymore. You've had no problems for a while now, have you not?" Xavier stated negatively.

"No, there hasn't been any major issues lately. Surprisingly." Principal Kelly replied. "Just curious, who is the young man you mentioned?"

"You wouldn't know him. He's from New Orleans, LA and his name is Remy Lebeau. He has had a bad past, but he's straightened up greatly since he arrived at my institute. Even so beforehand. He's a good person so you have nothing to fear." The Professor told him. Though, he knew he'd make a special kind of contact lens for Remy so he could conceal his eyes from ignorant people. Professor X was sure that Remy wouldn't disagree. Not for something like this.

"Very well."

" Then, you agree to this?" Said Xavier.

"Yes, I agree."

"Good. That is all I had to discuss. It was nice speaking with you."

"I suppose I can say the same. Even I have to admit that you're a well civilized being, despite the fact that you're a mutant yourself." Principal Kelly said.

The two ended the conversation and Charles hung up the phone. "That went well."

He sat there momentarily, knowing he had to inform Remy; which he would. Nevertheless, now he needed to contemplate. He most certainly would have to ask Hank to help him develop the contact lens' for Remy. They'd have to cover his entire eye, so it may be difficult, but not impossible. He wanted to make them both realistic and comfortable and have them done long before the prom so Remy could test them out. It shouldn't be too hard. After all, he and Hank created a formula to allow Rogue to control her, otherwise, uncontrollable powers.

Professor X figured he should call upon Hank first so they could deliberate his idea for Remy. And once that was done he'd summon Remy to share the news and lay out some guidelines for the prom; about how Principal Kelly is and about Remy's intentions with Rogue. Being prom night Xavier wants to make it clear that Remy shouldn't take anything too far with her. After all, he is a father figure.

Charles had telepathically summoned Hank. So right now he was heading towards the Professor's study. He knew not to bother knocking for Xavier would know of him, which he did. Hank opened the door and stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him. He made his way over towards Professor X's desk and seated himself. He knew the routine by now.

"So, what is it exactly that you want to discuss? You were aphoristic when you summoned me." Hank said.

Professor Xavier placed his fingertips together, as he always does. "I would like to go over an idea I have for Remy. He wants to escort Rogue to the prom and I was hoping you and I could create special contact lenses for him. I find it would draw less attention to them that way. And we do not want any trouble there." He explained.

Hank scratched his head thoughtfully. "Very interesting." He sat there pondering the idea. "Yes, you are quite right. That should not be a problem. We've done more complex and elaborate things. I'm sure this will be a piece of cake, as they say."

"Would we be able to work on this right away? I'd like to have them done in plenty of time for him to test them out."

"Yes. It's viable. If you're available, we can start later on today." Hank suggested.

"That will be fine by me. Now I can inform Remy that he's allowed to go and about the contacts." Charles said.

"Do you think he'll disregard this?"

"Once I explain the importance and the rationalizations I'm positive he won't decline."

Hank nodded. "Okay. Then I guess that's that."

"Yes. Thank you. I'll meet up with you as soon as I speak with him." Xavier said.

"I'll see you in a little while then." He stood up.

Professor X nodded in agreement. Hank then turned and left the room, shutting the door as he did so. Now Charles had to call upon Remy once more.

The Professor had done just so. Remy was wondering why he couldn't have informed him of the answer psychically, however he didn't question Xavier's motives and authority. So, as he did not too long ago, he made his way to Professor X's study. He was told to enter and he did so. He then closed the door and, this time, seated himself straightaway.

Charles, as he usually does, had picked up on Remy's thoughts. "I assume you are curious to why I sumoned you to join me here again, instead of giving you the answer through telepathy." He placed his fingertips together and they formed a series of small arches.

"_Oui_." That was all Remy said.

"Well, I would like to go over more than just that with you. You do have time to spare?"

"I do. So . . . what's de answer? And what else is dere?"

"Principal Kelly gave the approval for you to attend, notwithstanding, I must forewarn you that he isn't exactly all for mutant-kind. To be frank, and there's no other way to say this, he despises us. So I am asking you to be at your very best behavior. I promised him there wouldn't be any trouble." Professor Xavier stated.

"Oh, another mutant hater."

"Remy, that's precisely the attitude you must prevail over."

"Sorry, Professor. I jus' can't stand people like dat." Remy scowled.

"Nor can I, but we have to prove that not all mutants are a threat. That, as you know, is the entire purpose of the X-Men." Charles Xavier spoke sternly, but not unkindly.

"_Oui_, I do know. I will do my best to behave." Remy then said, "But, when dey all see my eyes you know de way dey will react."

The Professor smiled. "Yes, and I've taken that into deep concern. I have spoken to Hank about an idea to make special contact lenses for you. That way nobody will see your eyes." Upon seeing Remy's unnerving expression he added, "This is very necessary. And no need to fear, they will not be uncomfortable. We are starting the preparation today so that they'll be complete before the prom. Therefore, you can test them out. Just make sure that you do so whenever Rogue isn't around."

Remy nodded. He still didn't like the idea of concealing his eyes but he agreed because he knew what the outcome would be. He's seen it way too many times and wasn't about to deal with at a high school. Especially around an anti-mutant principal and by no doubt anti-mutant students. "_Tres bien_. I see de importance of dese contacts. Whether I like it or not, you have my cooperation."

"Okay. I know how hard this must be for you, but I have faith you will keep your word. There is one more thing I'd like to say." Xavier features became extremely serious at this point and he looked Remy directly in the eyes. Remy didn't divert the gaze. "Now, I am very well aware of how close you and Rogue have become. I also know that the two of you have already engaged into some intimate acts." Remy felt awkward and Xavier picked up on it. "I'm sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable. I only want you to be aware that I know. And keep in mind that I know all that goes on within these walls. Some things I'd rather not know, though it's hard to avoid given my powers. But to get back to the point, I don't want you to pressure her in any way. For many, prom night is the night to become extensively intimate and I want to make sure that you won't put her in an uncomfortable position. I am asking you to be a true gentleman and respect her. Am I clear?" He remained serious.

"So, you were spyin' on _moi _an' my _chere_? Did you like what you found?" Remy said humorously with a smirk.

Professor Xavier appeared to be taken off-guard by Remy's comeback. Nevertheless, he had a feeling it was a joke and he couldn't help but smile. "No, I wasn't spying. And no, I didn't like knowing that about you two." He then paused briefly before saying, "Please, let's get back to being serious, shall we."

Before Xavier could repeat what had said before Remy simply said, "_Oui_, Professor. I'll be good."

"I suppose that'll be all then. I will not lecture you as Logan would, although, I do expect you to take this seriously. Like Logan, I see Rogue as a father would see a daughter. I see all of my students in such a way. So this is for her well-being. I won't attack you if you disobey," he smiled now and Remy grinned at the thought of Xavier attacking him personally. The Professor continued solemnly, "But I will be very disappointed in you, and it could break the trust I have placed upon you."

"You have Remy's word. I won't do anyt'ing t' disrespect my _cherie_." He stated. Then something came to his mind. "But what if she's de one t' make de moves? What den?"

"If that's the case then I don't know. Just remember everything I said. Be on your best behavior, for the prom and with Rogue. If she does want to be intimate I can't stop that. Only make sure she's for sure and if anything does happen be cautious and use protection."

Remy felt overly odd with Professor X talking about sexual actions, but he said, "_Oui_, is dat everyt'ing den?"

"Yes. You may leave, Remy."

Remy nodded, got up and exited Xavier's study. Once outside he closed the door. All that was said was racing through his mind at a great speed. It would be hard for him to behave at the prom, but he wasn't too worried about the dance itself. He, however, worried about behaving himself around Rogue. He never could control himself completely around her. He knew he'd try his hardest for he didn't want to make her feel uneasy and he surely didn't want to place any pressure on her. Of course, he also did not, by any means, want to disappoint Xavier and lose his trust. He was really hoping that there would be any trouble at the prom, since he knows that the principal is prejudice towards mutants. That by no doubt rubbed him the wrong way. But he'd be good as long as no one place their finger on his trigger. "Dis is gonna be hard, though I t'ink I can handle it." he mumbled to himself.

* * *

Logan had finished up his round in the Danger Room and had entered the kitchen. Lucky for him, Ororo was still there. Only now she stood by the sink staring out the window, almost dream-like. Logan took this as an opportunity to sneak up on her, just to see what she'd say or do. What he didn't know was that, even though she was gazing out the window, she knew he had came into the room. Right now he'd be the only person who would show up there. Everyone else was occupied with their own duties.

However, Logan snuck up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist. Ororo smiled. "Oh, hi Logan." She said.

He appeared to be a bit confused to why she didn't jump. "Did I not startle you, darlin'?"

"Sorry, I heard you enter. You should have taken off your boots because I could hear them on the floor. Plus, no one else would have came to the kitchen at this moment."

"Damn." He said. "But no way was I takin' off my boots." He added.

"Why?"

"Well, I already feel like a midget around you." He joked.

Ororo turned around, still with his arms around her waist, and rested her arms over his broad shoulders. "Excuse me, Logan." She said with a bemused expression.

"Look." He gestured to how much taller she was.

"I do wear heels. I can take them off like I did before." She suggested.

"No need to bother. Ya look stunning in them. Besides, from this angle I get a great view of your boobs." He said with a hint of naughtiness and smirk.

She swat him on the upper arm. "Logan."

"What can I say? I can't help myself." He then looked into her beautiful eyes and said, "It's just you and me in this area now. It'll be that way for at least an hour. So how about we have some fun. You're wearin' a skirt. All ya gotta do is turn around and bend over this sink."

Again, she playfully hit him on the arm. "Down here? I don't think so. We've never even done anything yet."

"Why not make our first time interesting and spontaneous then?"

Ororo grinned at him. "It can be just as exciting in private." Then a smirk spread across her face. "Besides, I want to make sure you have all of your energy. Believe me, you're going to need it if you're to pleasure me, honey."

Logan growled playfully. "Damn, the kinky side's comin' out of ya. I'm sure it's my doings." He joked.

"Perhaps some, but you don't know how I am behind closed doors." She winked.

"Mmm . . . ya better stop, darlin', or we'll be having lunch late." He teased.

She laughed and said, "That wouldn't be so bad, would it?" She smirked at him. With all of this flirtatious talk she began thinking back to when she told Logan how much he and Remy were alike. It was so true.

"Oh, Ro. You're a bad girl in disguise." he said and he this time he winked at her.

Ororo smiled and placed her arms around Logan's neck. His were still around her waist. The couple moved in closer and locked lips. They shared the kiss for a few moments, savoring the feeling.

After they parted Logan asked on a more serious note, "Do ya wanna have lunch here, or would you wanna go out?"

"Another date? You are so romantic." She teased and he grinned. Then she said, "I suppose we could go out."

"You only picked that one so ya can sit behind me and squeeze me." He was back in the teasing mode.

"Maybe. But who could blame me?" She said smiling, and she ran her hands down his big, muscular chest. She then kissed him again. "So, where are we going?"

"I was thinkin' the place we always go." He said.

"It's such a nice, little place. It's fine by me."

With that said the couple left the kitchen. Even though they'd only be gone for no more than two hours they were happy to get away. They loved being at the mansion but couldn't always talk the way they could when they were out. There were too many interruptions there. Many wouldn't take place at that moment, but still they wanted to have some time to themselves.

Ororo followed Logan to the garage, where they put on the helmets. He got onto his bike first and she followed. It felt a bit odd this time since she was wearing a skirt. There was no doubt that Logan loved that little concept: Ororo sitting closely behind him, her legs parted while wearing a skirt and her arms tightly around his waist. He smirked at the idea.

She saw his face in his side mirror and noticed the smirk. At first she was unsure to why he was smirking, but then it dawned on her. She, as she already had twice that day, swatted him across the arm.

"What was that for?" He asked, trying to sound innocent.

"You know very well. You and your gutter mind." She laughed.

"Oh but ya wouldn't have it any other way, would ya?" He said with a grin.

She shook her head. "No, it wouldn't be you if you had a clean mind." She grinned.

Logan grinned and then made sure she was ready. With her "yes" he revved up his engine and rode out of the garage, down the driveway and through the mansion gates. Now they were on their way.

* * *

At Bayville High, Principal Kelly had finished some research. He had done a background check on Remy LeBeau, out of curiosity, and found his entire history. He now knew that Remy was part of the Thieves' Guild, that he was also a master thief and everything in between. He wore a satisfied smile for he was hoping he'd be able to dig up some dirt on Remy.

Principal Kelly had printed out the files on Remy. At this moment he picked up the phone and dialed the number to Xavier's institute. He had the files at hand as the phone rang.

At the mansion Xavier's phone rang. He was still in his study. Hank had rejoined him and they were going over the details for Remy's contacts. They had worked out the design so all that was left was actually perfecting them.

"Excuse me a moment, Hank." Professor X said, politely, as he picked up the phone. Hank nodded. "Hello, Professor Charles Xavier . . . " He was unable to finish his sentence.

"Yes, I know. After all, I called this number." Principal Kelly said nastily. "I have a bone to pick with you." He added crossly.

Xavier looked taken back, but he had a hunch that he'd be hearing from this man again. However, this was sooner than he had interpreted. "What is it?"

"That Remy LeBeau is a criminal! And you think I should allow him to step foot in my school?!"

"Calm down, please. I told you he had a bad past." Professor Xavier said as calm as ever.

"Yes, but you neglected to fill in all of the gaps. You didn't mention how bad of a past. That he was in something called The Thieves' Guild and that he's a master at thievery."

"Because it's just that, the past. Yes that's all very true, Remy was pretty bad, but he's not now. He has reformed from all of that criminal activity." Charles stated firmly, but still calmly.

Principal Kelly retorted, "How do you know he's completely reformed?"

Xavier couldn't help but smile. "Oh come now, you know very well what my abilities are. I'm a telepath. I am a very powerful psychic. Believe me, I know he's sincere."

This time Principal Kelly was speechless. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. For a time he remained that way. Then, "I still do not like this."

"I had given you my _word_ that there will be _no_ trouble. I have even laid out everything to Remy. He knows not to act poorly. And _I_ know and trust he'll behave. He knows that if he chooses to disobey my wishes that he'll lose my trust and respect. That is something he doesn't want to do. Don't hold this young man's past mistakes against him. People change." The Professor was more stern this time but he still didn't lack his kindness.

The principal was once again speechless. He had no idea how to top that. He sighed, "Fine. You win. But mark my words, Charles, if this freak acts anything but what you say he'll act I will not hesitate to call the police and have him put behind bars. Also, I am taking extra precautions and giving him a thorough inspection. Metal detectors for sure. And I'll have him searched by hand for any other potential threats, for I also learned of his powers and I know what he uses. I can't believe I'm saying this, but he must not have any playing cards on his person either. And one more thing, I'm hiring someone to spy on him. I'm not taking any chances with this one."

Xavier scowled at the word "freak". He only hoped that Kelly wouldn't say something as harsh as that on prom night. That would surely spark Remy's anger. But he, again, couldn't help but smile at the principal banning playing cards, even though he knew why it was appropriate. "Do what you must. I understand your side of this." He paused. Then he decided to tell the principal exactly what he was thinking. "And, please, show respect towards us mutants. The way you treat them is quite cruel. We are people with feelings, just as you and any other living being in the world."

"Whatever you say."

"Is that all?" Xavier asked, hoping so.

"Yes. Goodbye." Principal Kelly slammed the phone down. His plans didn't go the way he'd hoped. But he was going to make that night as hard on Remy as possible.

At the institute Professor X placed the phone back on the receiver. "That went well." He said with a hint of sarcasm. It wasn't like him to be sarcastic but this time certainly called upon it.

"I take it that that was Principal Kelly?" Hank said.

"Yes, and he, as you probably figured out from hearing my side of the conversation, found Remy's background history. I know this isn't going to go well. I think once we get these contact lenses finished that I should give Remy a heads up. He needs to know that Kelly gave a background check and that he's going to, most likely, give him an extra hard time."

"Oh, no doubts. That man's crude when it comes to mutants, or people who like us. Or even tolerate us. I hope everything turns out for the better." Hank stated, there was a trace of anger in his voice, which was totally understandable for Hank to feel that way towards that man.

"As do I." Professor Xavier said. Then he said, "Well, why don't we take our minds off of that phone call and go back to work?"

"Sure thing, Professor."

They had to leave the study for the next step. So Hank left Xavier leave first and once they were both outside he closed the door. Then they headed down to the laboratory.

* * *

Hours had passed and school was letting out. Rogue was at her locker as Kitty and Kurt made their way towards her. Behind them were Amara and Tabitha, who decided they'd walk with them today.

"I know you're not coming with us but we just wanted to say "bye". And we'll see you when you get home." Kitty said, speaking for everyone.

Kurt looked at Kitty with a raised eyebrow. "You know, I'm sure we all can talk." He then smiled.

Rogue zipped up her book-bag, shut her locker and locked it back up. "Ya know Kitty though, she loves ta talk."

"Tell me about it. Does she ever keep quiet." Said Tabitha and she patted Kitty on the back as they all began to walk down the hall.

"Yeah, it only makes sense for her to speak for herself and everybody else." Amara added jokingly.

"Would you like stop?" Kitty said with a smile. She knew they were right.

"Yeah, stop pickin' on her. She can't help it if she's a motor-mouth." Rogue couldn't resist. She smiled, something everyone was trying to get used to, and put her arm around Kitty's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kit. Ya know I love ya, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, not to cut short, but we gotta go." Whether Rogue liked it or not Kitty hugged her. Now they were outside and about ready to part. "See you later."

Kurt mocked Kitty and hugged Rogue. "I had to, Sis." He said awkwardly.

Rogue just shook her head and after all of the "goodbyes" and she separated from her friends she began to make her way towards the parking lot and wait for Remy. She knew it would be at least fifteen to twenty minutes before he arrived for he was always fashionably late, but she wanted to sit and wait anyway. She was about to go when some woman, whom Rogue had never seen before in her life, stepped up to her. The woman had reddish brown hair, blue eyes and her skin was slightly tan. She wore a business suite, black with white pinstripes.

"Rogue, I want to talk with you." Said the woman.

Rogue looked puzzled. "Who are you?"

"I'll explain myself in a few minutes. I want to wait until it's just you and me." The woman told her.

Rogue felt strangely. _"Who the hell is this lady?"_she thought. Though she figured, why not find out. "Okay, but it can't take to long. Someone'll be here ta meet me soon."

The two sat on the bench and waited until the school grounds cleared out, which didn't take entirely that long. In nearly ten minutes it appeared deserted.

"Now, who are you and what do ya want?" Rogue asked not hesitating.

The woman looked Rogue straight in the eyes and right before her the woman's form changed. Her hair turned red, her eyes changed and her skin became blue. The woman was the shape-shifter, Mystique.

Rogue glared at her and stood up. "Oh hell no."

Mystique grabbed Rogue's wrist. "No, sit down. We must talk. It's important that we do."

"Why is that, Mystique? More lies? More ways ta hurt Kurt and me?" She snarled.

"No. And I'd prefer it if you'd call me Mother or something along those lines." She had a angry yet somewhat hurt look in her eyes.

"Fine, 'Mama'. What is it this time?"

"You have every right to be furious." Mystique started.

"Ya got that right." Snapped Rogue.

"Just hear me out. Please."

"Fine, but make it quick."

Mystique looked at Rogue for a long minute. "I know I haven't been the greatest mother in the world." Rogue laughed sarcastically. "You just need to understand why things happened the way they did. I love you and Kurt."

"Yeah, ya sure proved that." Rogue said with bitter sarcasm.

Mystique pretended not to hear Rogue and went on. "I had no choice but to give up Kurt. To be honest, it broke my heart."

"Funny, I didn't even know ya had a heart." Rogue said with the same tone as before.

This time Mystique didn't let it ride. She looked frustrated. "Rogue, please allow me to finish." Rogue rolled her eyes but said no more. "As I was saying, it broke my heart. If I had it my way that would have never happened. I would have kept him. But you know why I had to do what I did. You had seen my memories." She paused and took a deep breath. "At least I made sure he was safe. I could have never lived with myself if he wasn't."

Rogue shook her head in disbelief. "I'm sure it would have just tore ya up, Mama." She said with yet more sarcasm and she emphasized the word 'mama'.

"It really would have. I may be harsh and even cruel, I admit I'm not perfect. But I do have feelings."

"When are ya gonna start provin' that?"

"I don't know. I'm not one for expressing myself. Anyway, you, Rogue, I took you in. I gave you a warm home, with a nice bed and food. You were well cared for." Mystique said.

"Yeah but not by you. I never even knew ya were my mother until about a year and a half ago. And then ya disappear until now."

"Still, you were safe. That was not my point."

"Then, tell me, 'Mama' . . . what is it?" Rogue didn't slack up on her sarcasm and bitterness. Who could blame her?

"I'm trying to. Magneto made it hard for me to do anything, except what he had laid out for me. I was under his control, so to speak."

"And you're not now?"

"No, I've moved on with my life since Apocalypse. I have an apartment in New York City. It's not big but it's quite nice. I've been hiding away for the most part. The woman I addressed you as is my new identity. I named her Saphira Richards. She's a highly respected, well-working business woman." Mystique explained.

"Okay, but why do ya all of a sudden wanna tell me this?" Rogue questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I want to try and make amends with you, _and_ Kurt. We've lost so much time."

"If this is another one of your schemes then just get up and leave." Rogue sounded harsh again. What Mystique was saying sounded unrealistic.

"No, no, it's not. I am being sincere. If you could get him to agree, I'd like to invite you both to dinner with me someday." She then pulled out a business card and a pen. She turned the card around and wrote a number on it. "Here, this is my home number. This is important to me so just think about it."

Rogue took the card, but skeptically. She didn't trust Mystique as far as she could throw her. "I'll think about it." She placed the card into her book-bag.

Just then there was a sound of a motorbike. Over in the parking lot Remy was finding a parking space. Mystique's features changed upon seeing him. "What's he doing here?"

"He's been riding with me to school and meeting me when he can." Rogue said with a smile. She knew Mystique wouldn't take this well.

"Really? So you two are friends?" Mystique new they were more than 'just friends'. She had secretly been following Rogue and Kurt from time to time just to see them and know they were still doing well. She hated the fact that Rogue was all over Remy, but she didn't want to inform Rogue that she's been spying.

"You could say that. I think that we're a bit more though. We may date soon." Rogue laughed inwardly at the expression on Mystique's face after her last sentence.

"No! That is forbidden."

"What? All of a sudden ya _try_ ta be my mother. And now you're tryin' ta tell me what I can do and who I can see. No, I don't think so, Mama." Rogue stood up as she did before.

This time Mystique got up as well. "I don't like him."

"I do. He's now one of the X-Men and he's a much better person than he used to be. You can't stop me. Not even Logan can. If ya don't like him 'cause of his past then you're a hypocrite. You may be worse than him."

"Watch me." Mystique scolded. "You don't even know me."

"I'm eighteen. I'm old enough ta make my own decisions. If I wanna see him I will. Ya can't tell me what the f-ck ta do. Not now. And, how the hell could I know ya?" Rogue spat.

Mystique stood right in front of Rogue, glaring at her. "How dare you speak to me with that tone and language!"

"Then stop tellin' what I should or shouldn't do!" Rogue retorted.

"I don't want you to get hurt." Mystique said more calmly.

"What does it matter ta you?! Ya weren't even 'round when I needed ya tha most!" Rogue couldn't calm down.

Mystique grabbed Rogue by the shoulders. "Listen now and listen good. I told you why I couldn't be there for you. For that I am sorry."

"That's not enough." Rogue said, her eyes began to water some.

"You ungrateful, little brat. What's it going to take then? Who do you think you are?" Mystique said through clenched teeth.

Rogue pulled out of Mystique's grip. "Go to hell, bitch!" She screamed without thinking twice.

Tears began to stream down Rogue's face, but at the same time Mystique backhanded Rogue, hard. "Don't you ever speak to me like that again." She said firmly. She now noticed that Rogue began to cry and her anger eased up some. But it was too late. "Rogue." She said softer. She had never wanted to actually hurt Rogue.

Rogue saw that Remy had seen them and he apparently saw Mystique strike Rogue because he was running over at full speed. Rogue ran to him but, at that moment he brushed her aside and headed right for Mystique. Rogue stood there in shock.

"Don't you 'ever' hit my _cherie_ again!" He yelled, his eyes glowing bright red.

"She is not yours. She never will be." Mystique said.

"Nothin' you say can keep us away from each other." Remy was pushing her buttons.

"Stay out of it!" Mystique screamed.

"De hell I will."

"I'm her mother and you have no idea what I'm capable of. Do you?"

"Yeah, an' what a great mother you are." Now Remy gave some sarcasm.

"Keep away from her or you'll be sorry." She threatened him.

"_Non_, am I supposed t' be afraid of you? If so den you're not dat good at scaring me. I already told you dat nothin' you say, or do, will separate us. Take it or leave it."

"You son-of-a-bitch." She cursed at him.

He was about to grab her and push her against a tree when Rogue jumped in. "No, Remy. Don't hurt her. If she has a heart like she says she does then what I did will have hurt her enough."

"No, let him try to stop me. I'm surely not afraid of some dirty little swamp rat." Mystique was now pushing his buttons.

As Remy gave Mystique a murderous glare and was about to reach into his pocket and pull out the Ace of Spades Rogue grabbed him by the hand and pulled him away with her. To him she said, "Leave it be, for now." She looked back at Mystique. "Goodbye, 'Mama'." She said angrily but still slightly crying.

"Rogue! Please wait! I'm sorry! This is so hard for me! I'm not used to this new life!" Rogue ignored her. Mystique looked hurt and her eyes watered up but when Rogue kept walking away with Remy a deep hatred came over her. "Fine. If you want it the hard way then so be it." With that Mystique changed back into her disguise. She kept her eyes on Rogue and Remy for a minute or two then she disappeared, not literally of course.

Rogue wasted no time to get away. She went to her bike and Remy went to his own. Before they took off she said, "Thanks for stickin' up for me."

Remy smiled. "No problem,_mon amour_."

But that was all that was said. Rogue wanted to leave that area and get as far away from Mystique as she possibly could. Neither of them could wait to get back to the mansion. Rogue was still going to tell Kurt about their mother and everything, but she doubted he'd want to meet with her. But then again, maybe he would It was hard to tell. But now after what had just occurred Rogue didn't want to see her. Beforehand she had actually thought that maybe it would be nice to spend some time with Mystique. And that she could get Kurt to go with her. They could give their mother another chance and it would finally, for once, feel like her and Kurt had a _real_ family. Though, just as quickly as that thought rose up in Rogue it reversed and all went down the drain.

The other students had long since been home. Kitty and Kurt were out front sitting side-by-side on the steps. They were getting worried because Rogue and Remy should have been back by now.

"Maybe they stopped to make out." Kitty said with a humorous tone.

Kurt wore an expression of disgust. "Please Kitty, don't say that." he then said, "Perhaps they stopped to talk."

"Yeah right. You know how those two get. They're all over . . . ." She was cut off.

"Really Kitty. You're gonna make me sick. Thinking about them kind of sickens me."

"I thought you didn't mind him?"

"I don't. I just don't want to think about them getting intimate. It's worse than your culinary skills." He quipped.

She gave him a playful shove. "Like whatever. I'm getting better, you know."

"I guess. At least now it_ looks _edible."He grinned.

"Kurt." She shoved him again.

Just then they began to hear the sound of two motorcycles coming towards the institute. They looked at one another with relief. As the sound became closer Kurt decided that he could would teleport to the garage. Even though they were happy about Rogue and Remy returning they had this gut feeling that something happened. Whether big or small, it had to of been something.

Remy and Rogue entered the garage, pushing their bikes, only moments after Kitty and Kurt arrived there. Rogue and Remy both took notice of the other two as soon as the garage closed and their eyes adjusted to the different light.

Kitty and Kurt could tell that neither of them looked too happy, so it was obvious that they hadn't stopped to make out somewhere. It was definitely something else that had held them up.

Rogue was already annoyed by what happened after school. "What do y'all want." She said more aggressively than she truly intended. Her featured softened some and she decided to add, "I didn't mean ta bite off your heads. Sorry. There was an incident after we parted." And her appearance became grim.

Kitty and Kurt were taken back. They had an odd feeling. Both of them said at the same time, "What happened?!"

Kurt kept staring at Rogue's face, he now noticed a mark. "Yeah, what did happen? There's a mark on your cheek."

"Sh-t." Rogue mumbled. She didn't think a mark was left. "How bad is it?" She asked, kind of avoiding his question.

"Not real bad. It's noticeable, but not major." Then Kurt said, "Come on, fill us in."

"Okay, but let's go upstairs. Or somewhere more private." She said.

"Why?"

"I don't want everyone ta know 'bout this quite yet." Kitty looked downhearted. "Oh, don't worry, Kit, you can hear 'bout it. Right now I only want us four ta know."

Once that was all said the four of them went back outside. That was the best place at the moment due to the fact that the others were occupied within the mansion. Still, they went as far away from there as they could without leaving the property. When they got to where Rogue wanted to be she stopped.

"Here's good." She said and everyone took a seat on the grassy ground. "Where do I start?" She said aloud but to herself.

Remy, trying to cheer her up, said, "How 'bout at de beginnin'."

It worked because gave a little laugh and smiled. Kurt and Kitty couldn't help but laugh too. When they all were completely settled Rogue began explaining what had happened since Kitty, Kurt, Amara and Tabitha left her. She said about the woman who turned out to be Mystique in disguise all the way up to what happened right before Remy and her left. Kitty and Kurt appeared to be in some kind of shock. Kurt more though since it was his mother.

After a minutes of silence Kurt said, "Do you still have the card she gave you?"

"Yeah, but you're not actually considerin' meetin' up with her, are ya? I mean, it could be another trick. And the way she acted 'bout Remy and me, I sure as hell don't wanna see her. Not for a while at least."

"Rogue, she's been gone for a year. Didn't you miss seeing her around?" He asked. He was always more forgiving than Rogue. Maybe because it was his real mother. Who really knows?

Rogue's tempered flared at the question. "I could care less if I ever saw her again. I'd prefer it that way. I mean, all she ever did was manipulate and deceive me, and you. As I see it she hasn't changed a bit within that period of time."

"How can you say that?! She wants us to spend time with her, and you just pushed her away." Kurt was starting to feel somewhat angry.

"Kurt, it didn't start like that. I was actually taking what she said into consideration. Then she completely tweaked out 'bout me bein' 'round Remy. I mentioned that already." She sounded extremely irritated.

Kitty and Remy kept quiet and just listened. Neither of them wanted to get in the middle of this. Remy, for one, had enough to deal with.

"I know, still . . . she meant well."

"Dammit! You always make excuses for her. I know she's your mother and you love her. She's, so to speak, my mother as well. And I _do_ care about her, to a point. But only 'cause she took me in and all. But think logically 'bout her for once. When has she really been there for either of us?"

Kurt's expression went from angry to sorrowful. "You're right. Though, she could be trying to change. Maybe she needs our help to do so."

Rogue calmed a little for his sake. "You could be right, but I don't trust her and I can't take that chance. I have my doubts she'll ever be truly there for us. It's time you realize this."

He was upset again. "You need to stop holding so many grudges."

"And you need ta stop bein' so damn forgiving. You don't know her like I do." She snapped at him.

He was on the verge of tears. "Whatever Rogue. I'm done talking about this." And then 'bamf' and he was out of sight.

Rogue sighed and looked at the ground. Her eyes began to swell with tears again. She never wanted to upset or hurt him. She only wanted to tell him what happened and where she stood. Although, she had that gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach that he'd be just that. Tears, once again, streamed down her face. She tried to hide them as she brought her knees up and placed her face in her hands, but Remy and Kitty both knew she was crying. They moved closer to her, Remy put his arm around her while Kitty rubbed her back. They both knew this had to be one of the hardest things in the world for her. And it was. As much was lately, this tore her into many directions. Part of her wanted for her and Kurt to hang out with Mystique, mainly for his happiness, while the other part would rather never see her again. Everything was too much. But Rogue knew that her friends would always be there for her and that gave her hope and comfort.

* * *

Later that day, Jean and Scott tossed around an idea. They both thought it would be nice to go for a walk. After discussing it thoroughly they decided they'd go with it.

They told the others what was up just so they would know and not wonder what happened to them.

As they left the mansion and walked down the walkway hand-in-hand Jean said, "Well, I only have the rest of this week to go and then I'm out until next year. That's another thing that's great about college: Earlier dismissal for the summer." She was happy.

"I'm excited. We'll get to spend more time together." He too was happy. They didn't have much time together since she started college. They both looked forward to summer every year.

"I know. And won't it be wonderful?" She told him. Now they left the grounds.

"Let's just hope that we don't get sick of each other." Scott joked.

Jean laughed. "Oh, I don't think we'll have to worry about that, baby."

He smiled and they stopped and shared a long, passionate kiss. This was something neither of them would ever get tired of. A few minutes passed and they soon resumed walking.

"So, how far are we going exactly?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Not too far. But far enough that we get a nice walk and some time without the others."

"Sounds good to me." She said.

"I thought you might say that." He said smiling.

They talked about a lot. Mostly the usual, ordinary stuff. They were having a wonderful time.

Jean and Scott stopped walking for a bit. They stood face to face and gazed into each others face. That was all they did momentarily.

Scott broke the silence. "So, are you thinking of a new place for us to get it on."

Jean's looked at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed. She friskily smacked him on the arm. "Scott."

"What? It's not like it's new territory. I was only curious." He grinned.

"No, actually the next time I think we should do it in your room or mine. And who cares how loud we get and who hears." She winked at him and smirked.

He chuckled. "As long as it's earlier in the evening or not a school night. If it's a school night, no one'll get any sleep." He quipped.

"So true." She knew he was right. They made a good deal of noise. "But I can't help it. You feel so damn good."

"Oh, and so do you." He said. "Um, we had better stop this part of our conversation or we'll be getting busy _now_." He joked.

She laughed. "You're pathetic."

"Am I. You won't be saying that when I'm sexing you." He teased and he moved his eyebrows up and down at her.

"Scott. And I thought you didn't want in that conversation any longer?"

"I lied, baby." He said coltishly. "No, seriously, we better stop."

She smiled and they shared another kiss. Not too far from that they went back to walking. Again, they talked about the normal, every day essence. Then Jean got to thinking and asked Scott, "Do you know what was wrong with Rogue earlier? She seemed distant, more than usual, at dinner. She wasn't herself at all."

"I have no clue. It's Rogue. She changes like the weather. I'm sure she's okay."

"I don't know. I sensed she was struggling within. I'm kinda worried." She said with concern.

He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you could talk to her and see if she'll share anything with you. You two did make piece."

"Yeah, but I don't believe she'd feel open enough to share her deepest feelings and burdens with me. It's not like we're best pals."

"Who knows, maybe she'd confide in you. It's worth a try at least. You're such a good listener and you go the distance to help someone. Another thing I love about you." He told her, placing his arm around her and gently squeezing her closer to him.

Jean smiled and returned his move. "You'd do the same and you know it."

"You're more patient though. I'd get frustrated where you'd just hang in and go with the flow."

Now they had walked a while and were starting back. They didn't want to be out walking once it got dark or else they would have gone further. As they were heading back they kept their arms around one another instead of holding hands. It was warm and their hands were all sweaty and slippery, so they thought it was better. It made it a little harder to walk but they didn't mind.

Jean thought about what Scott said. "I guess if she's available, and not in a bad mood, I'll give it shot. What can it hurt?"

Scott smiled at her. "That's a good girl." He teased.

She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. She hoped that if Rogue didn't want to confide that she'd at least be kindly about it. But whichever, it was a chance Jean was willing to take for a friend.

They were back at the institute and they sort of wished they'd hadn't came home yet. As soon as they entered the building Bobby ran out the door followed by Jubilee, who was wearing an annoyed expression.

Bobby was laughing hysterically. "Betcha can't catch me!" He picked.

"Come back here, you overgrown icicle!"

They had nearly knocked Jean and Scott over. "Don't go too far, it's getting dark! And be careful out there!" Scott yelled to them.

"Yes, Father!" Bobby yelled back.

"I mean it, Bobby!"

"Fine!"

Scott had caused Bobby to stop and Jubilee tackled him to the ground and pinned him there. One of her legs was between his and she held his arms down. Jean and Scott couldn't help but laugh at the sight. She was so tiny, not that he was huge. But it looked hilarious.

"Kids." Scott said.

"Yeah, and to think we used to be just like that." Jean said with a smile.

"We still can be."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you can tackle me any time, honey." He said with a grin.

She laughed again. "I'd prefer to do that when we're alone." She flirted.

"Mmm. Me too."

"Bobby! That's cold!" They heard Jubilee shriek.

He laughed. And then they heard the sound of fireworks and knew with no doubt what that was. Scott looked at Jean and then outside. "Okay you two! Enough! Fun's over! Get back in here!"

"We were just goofing around." Said Jubilee as they came in and shut the door.

"One of you could of got hurt." Scott said.

"We were fine." Bobby told him.

"Yeah, you suck, Scott." Jubilee said but with a smile.

Bobby grinned. "Not as good as you." He said to Jubilee.

Her mouth dropped. "You pig. I never . . . that's just . . . . Yuck!" She exclaimed and he started to run and Jubilee tried to chase him.

Jean used her powers to slow him and stop him while Scott grabbed Jubilee around the waist and held her back. "No. Settle down." He said.

Logan heard all of the noise and entered the foyer. "What's goin' on?"

Jubilee and Bobby looked at him and both said, "Nothing," in an innocent voice. That was enough to put a complete halt to their fun. They walked away still trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Yeah, right." Logan grunted. "Hi, you two."

"Hi." Jean said while Scott just nodded in response.

"Have a nice walk?" He asked.

"Oh yeah. Peaceful." She told Logan.

"Good. I hope you enjoyed it."

"We did." Scott said.

"Nice to know. See ya." Logan said and he was off again.

Jean and Scott then parted so she could try to see what's bothering Rogue. They kissed quickly first and he wished her good luck. He went to the rec room and she headed upstairs to the girls' dormitories.

Jean stood by Rogue's and Kitty's room. The door wasn't all the way shut and the lights were on so she walked closer and knocked. "Rogue, are you in there? Hello, Kitty? Someone?"

When no one said anything she opened the door some and peaked in. Kitty wasn't in there but Rogue was. She had headphones on. Instead of going over and nearly giving Rogue a heart attack, Jean contacted her telepathically.

_"Rogue, sorry to interrupt you, but may I come in?"_

Rogue got the message and turned her attention towards the door as she stopped her music and removed her headphones. She was taken back by Jean's presence and it was obvious to Jean. And Rogue didn't say anything yet.

"Again, I'm sorry to bother you." Jean still felt awkward around Rogue when it came to things like this. "I just want to make sure that you're okay."

Rogue looked confused. "Yeah. I'm fine. Why do ya ask?"

"I noticed that you were more distant than usual at dinner today. I'm a little worried that something may be troubling you, sweetheart."

_"Sweetheart."_ Rogue thought subtle enough for Jean not to pick up. "I'm okay. Really. I just had a bad moment after school."

"Do you want to talk about it? You don't have to if you don't. I'm only here to help, if I'm needed." Jean still felt strange.

"Thanks, but I'm fine."

"Alright. Good night, I guess." Jean said. She knew Rogue was lying but she didn't press her any further. If Rogue didn't want to talk about it she wouldn't make her.

But as Jean began to leave Rogue said, "Wait. I suppose I can trust ya with this. I mean, Kitty knows. So does Remy, but he saw mostly all of it. And I had ta tell Kurt. And that's what's botherin' me." Jean lingered in the doorway. "Come on in. And shut the door."

Jean did just that but stopped in front of Rogue who patted a space on the bed beside her. "Ya might as well take seat. I won't bite ya." Jean smiled and sat down. Rogue went on with everything that had happened after school and what happened with her and Kurt.

Jean wore a heartfelt expression. "I can understand why you feel so upset then."

"Not ta be rude, but sugar, I have my doubts on that." Rogue stated flatly.

Jean realized why she had made that statement. "Oh, my bad."

"Uh, yeah. Ya wouldn't understand this to tha full extent. Ya couldn't." Rogue's words came out harsher than she had intended. _"Dammit Rogue. She's only tryin' ta help."_ She cursed at herself.

"It's all right. You have every right to say what you said. I wasn't thinking."

Rogue looked somewhat annoyed. "Can't ya stay out of people's heads?" She then cursed at herself again. "Now, it's my bad. This has just got me so agitated that I wanna scream. And ta think, I told ya I wouldn't bite." Rogue smiled slightly.

Jean smiled back. "As I said, it's fine. I know you're not deliberately attacking me."

"No, I'm not. I still don't know how ta control my anger at times. And when it comes ta Mystique it boils inside me."

"Well, I can't blame you there." Jean said and before Rogue could take that the wrong way she added, "It's just that with her being on the opposing side I've seen how deluded and manipulative she is. No offense."

"None taken. I agree with that. See, that's why ya have no true understandin' of how I feel right now. Ya had parents who loved ya. And ya still do. They never used ya. They never milked your powers for all they're worth just for their own insane plans."

"You are so right. You and I are from completely different walks of life. I never meant to upset you or claim that I know _exactly _the way you feel. That would be ludicrous." Rogue said nothing, she only looked at Jean and knew she hadn't purposely tried to anger her. She allowed Jean to continue. "I only meant that . . . ." She trailed off. She had no clue how to explain herself.

"I know what ya meant. I shouldn't have jumped on ya like that." Rogue paused and recollected why Jean was there in the first place. "Um, now back to tha point . . . who do ya think is right with this ordeal about Mystique? Kurt or me?"

Jean hoped this wouldn't set her off but she spoke truthfully. "Rogue, I really can't take sides on this. The way I see it, you're both right. In his way he is and in your way you are. I feel for both sides." Jean paused to make sure Rogue didn't look pissed off at her for saying that. When she saw that Rogue was more torn and confused than ever she said, "Look, I see why he feels this way about seeing Mystique and so forth. But I also see why you resent the whole thing."

Rogue looked into Jean's face. "I'm sorry for tryin' ta make ya pick sides; that was stupid. We're both friends of yours."

"No, you're not stupid. You only feel you're caught between a rock and a hard place, am I right?"

"Yeah. Ya got that nail right on tha head." She said with the sarcasm that Jean was so accustomed to now. "I don't know what ta do 'bout all of this. What a mess."

"There's really nothing you _can_ do. Other than take it as it goes. But if Kurt wants to see Mystique don't stand in the way. Though, have a plan. Make sure if he definitely decides on this to secretly follow him or have someone else do it. That way you would know he's safe and can see if she's being as sincere as she claims to be." Jean suggested.

"That sure makes sense. And then he wouldn't be mad at me. I really do love him and see him as a real brother. But her, I don't know." Rogue said.

"That's understandable to feel that way."

"Thanks. I'm glad I did decide ta talk ta ya."

"It was nothing." Jean said with a smile.

"Jean, it meant a lot. Believe me. And ta think I used ta hate your guts." Rogue grinned.

"Yeah, you thought I was a perfect and spoiled bitch." Jean grinned.

"Ya were."

Jean shook her head with a smile and they both ended up sharing a short laugh at the thought. They still weren't as close as her and Kitty, but it wasn't bad. Especially if you compare it with the way they were.

"Do you feel better?" Jean asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I do. Thank you."

"Great. Well, I think I'm going to go and get ready for bed. Good night." Jean said with a satisfied smile.

"Yep, goodnight." Rogue just thought of something. "Um Jean, could ya get Kurt ta come over here? I wanna work this out b'fore I go ta bed. Kitty's probably with him, ta give ya a heads-up."

"Oh, sure."

"Thanks again."

"It's not a problem." Jean left and instead of going to Kurt's room she decided to contact him telepathically. She was tired and didn't feel like going for him.

_"Kurt, please go to Rogue's room. She wants to speak to you." _Jean then went to hers and stretched out over her bed.

In Kurt's room he looked nervous. Rogue was right, Kitty was with him. She saw his expression change in mid-conversation.

"What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Jean just told me through her telepathy to go see Rogue."

"Hm, wonder why?" Kitty said with her head tilted to one side.

"I don't know. If it's more scolding for me wanting to see my mother than . . . ." He trailed off.

"I'm not on your side or hers on this, but I understand why she's so skeptical and angry." Kitty saw Kurt scowl at her. "But I understand your view on this too. Don't get me wrong."

"Sorry. I'm just touchy on that subject."

"That's okay."

They both left his room and went to Kitty's and Rogue's. Rogue was still sitting on her bed. She seemed to be deep in thought and didn't even notice Kitty and Kurt walk in.

Kitty went to her own bed and sat with her legs crossed. Kurt moved towards Rogue. "Rogue, what did you want me for?"

Rogue snapped out of her daze and looked into his eyes. "Please sit down beside me." As Kurt seated himself she said, "I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. I had no right ta yell at ya and tell ya that ya couldn't see Mystique. After all, she is your blooded mother and ya have every right ta wanna see her. I can't tell ya what ta do or not do just 'cause I've declined her offer. Do ya forgive me, little bro." She could only hope.

Kurt looked into her eyes and saw she was being honest. A faint smile swept across his face. "Yeah, I do. Sis, I'm sorry too. I should have understood your point of view. We both were at fault. I hope you forgive me?"

"Of course I do. I could never hate ya." Rogue all of sudden felt struck by emotions and she pulled Kurt into an embrace. His eyes widened at the unexpected gesture. But he soon hugged her back.

After they moved away Kurt said, "You got sappy on me."

"I couldn't help it." Rogue said with a hint of a smile.

"I'm not complaining. I love to get hugs." He saw a look in Rogue's eyes that made him recall when she kissed him on the cheek. "But don't kiss me." He grinned.

Rogue actually laughed this time. "I won't."

Kitty sat on her bed with a smile. She hated when those two fought. Although, it wasn't unusual and they always had little spats and she knew they would make up with those. But sometimes she wasn't so sure when it came to matters like these.

Soon Kurt said goodnight to Kitty and Rogue and he went off to go to sleep. Once he left the two girls talked a little before going to bed. Now Rogue felt better. She made peace with Kurt and she would try to not put them in that situation again. But it would be very hard when it came to Mystique.

* * *

It was getting late and mostly everyone was in bed. Scott had joined Jean in her room and they went to sleep together, as they have been doing for so long now. Right now Logan was with Ororo in her room. He was sitting up against the headboard of her bed and she was between his legs with her back against him and her head resting on his chest. His strong arms were around her waist and she held onto them.

She let out a peaceful sigh. "I had a great time earlier. I'm glad we had the chance to go out. It was different during the day though."

He smiled. "Me too. It was, wasn't it. Well that just means we have more time tonight to do whatever we want." His voice was husky and flirtatious. He then slipped his right hand down along her side, over her leg and began rubbing her inner thigh.

"Mmm, really? And what shall we do?" She said in a sultry tone. She place her right hand over his and they locked their fingers together.

"I don't know, it's your call, Ro."

She thought a little. They have been together a good while now, yet they haven't really done much of anything. Their emotions and attraction towards one another was getting even more deeper and they've realized that they've been flirting much more. Maybe it was time to take their relationship a step further.

Ororo turned around so that she was facing him, but she stayed between his legs. She placed her hands on his manly chest and looked deeply into his eyes. Before either of them said another word she captured his lips with hers. This was the first time she made a move such as that. She was testing him though, she wanted to see how he'd react to her taking over.

Of course he loved it. He didn't protest. All he did was kiss her back and growl pleasurably into her mouth. Soon the kiss deepened and their tongues danced together. Her hands moved over his chest and down his stomach then back up. After running them all over his upper body she slid them over his shoulders and snaked her arms around his neck. His hands roamed her body as well. He didn't hesitate as he explored every part of her he could reach, from her head down to her butt.

Their making out was getting quite heated, and it was likely that their next step would turn out to be more of a leap. They both felt turned on, more than they had ever before. For a while they fought within themselves to control their instincts. But it was hard, more so for him. And when they were together his animalistic side seemed to rub off. The more they'd flirt, lately, the more they seemed to go crazy. Often, trying to be a gentleman for he didn't want to push her away, Logan would try to brush off those feelings as best as he could. It was extremely hard and he would end up going to his room and pleasuring himself. And she would end up doing the same, for she was just not sure she was ready to go that far again. Even if her body said 'yes'. Now, she didn't care. This man before her was the one, she could feel it. They really connected. And it's not as though they had just met, they've known each other for years. Although they weren't all that close then, these past months had brought them very close. He was there for her when she had her nightmares. He held her and made her feel safe and that did so much for her. She realized then that he truly loved her for who she was. She didn't have to be someone she wasn't. And she loved him that same way, as he had also figured out all the same things within that period of time.

Ororo pulled away from the kiss and looked into his eyes again, this time with more passion. He stared back with that same passion. She said, "Logan, I want you."

Logan wasn't sure what she had meant, so he simply said, "Ya have me, darlin'."

"Yes. But that's not what I meant."

He sat there, still staring into her beautiful eyes, thinking. Then it clicked. "Oh, you _want_ me. Are ya sure? This is a huge step." He only wanted to make sure.

"I am positive, my love. I've been thinking about this for a long time. It's what I want."

"Then it's what you will get." He wasn't going to argue.

The couple began to kiss again, except this time it was even more fervent. As they made out Ororo straddled Logan. And she was the first to start removing clothes as she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up over his head. Then he reached down and pulled her silky night gown up and over her head, so that she was only wearing her panties, which matched her night gown.

Logan automatically reached over and squeezed her breast, causing her to gasp. He couldn't resist for they were full and perfectly shaped. And not to mention he was a man.

"You got some really nice tits there, Ro." He said as he massaged them and fondled them.

"Why thank you. You have a great chest too." She said and caressed his chest as he did this.

Ororo shut her eyes and arched her back so that her chest pressed even more into his hands. After he had his feel, for that moment, she traced her fingers down along his rock-hard abs, following them up with her lips, until she got to the top of his pants. Once there she stared into his eyes and he stared back. He leaned forward and kissed her again, but not as long this time. His hands traveled down her body and around to her butt, which he grabbed and squeezed causing her to gasp once more.

"Damn woman. You're ass is so firm and smoothe. I can't wait to f-ck you, I'll really get to grab it and even slap it now and then."

She lauged sensually. "Go right ahead, my love. I'm sure yours is quite nice as well. I guess I'll find out here soon." She teased him and then kissed him again, deeply.

Once their lips parted Ororo went back to what she was doing. She smirked at him and gripped the sides of his pants, which were PJ pants, and slid them down his toned legs. He helped her remove them with no hesitation. She was surprised to see that he wasn't wearing any form of under garments. But she didn't mind, it made her part easier.

She grinned at him seductively, slid her tongue across her upper lip and then went to work. She placed her mouth over his erection and, using her hand as well, moved up and down. It started slow but she soon sped up and that caused Logan to moan, and even growl, in pleasure. His hands were on her head with his fingers entwined in her long, white hair. She smiled and continued to please him. Even though she wasn't getting any action on her side yet, she couldn't help but feel good about the reactions he gave. And she was getting even more turned on thinking about it.

It didn't take too long for Logan to reach his climax with her steady pace. He let out a pleasurable growl and released. It didn't bother her one bit. He looked at her with awe. There were many woman that he could recall of that just repulsed at the thought of a man doing that in their mouth. But she was fine with it.

When that was all done neither of them spoke. Their eyes met and locked briefly and he planted a kiss on her lips and flipped her onto her back. He then grabbed the sides of her panties and pulled them off. She had lifted her hips to make the task easier for him. He didn't go straight to that area yet, however. First he laid on her and they kissed passionately for a bit. He then trailed his lips down her neck and to her breast, where he paid special attention for moments at a time, sending chills up and down her spine and causing gasps and moans to escape from her lips. She was beginning to feel so turned on that she was having trouble thinking about anything but him making love to her. But soon enough, his hand roamed down and he gently rubbed her opening and then gently slipped one finger into her. And once she got used to the feeling, one more. Not too long afterwards his lips moved further down and he began to orally and manually stimulate her at the same time. Switching back and forth between using his fingers inside her and his tongue, and so forth. She racked her fingers through his wild hair, grasping it every once and a while. This had caused her to go over the edge. She was breathing heavily and gasping and nearly screaming. She couldn't take it anymore, she wanted all of him then and there.

"Oh, Logan! Just take me. Mmm . . . ." She moaned.

"Your wish is my command, darlin'."

With that said he positioned himself and slowly entered her. It was their first time together so he wanted her to get the feel. She wrapped her legs around his waist and crossed her ankles. Her hands were on his shoulders and his on her hips.

In no time they were both into it and he sped up. They were moving together in a plenary abyss of ecstasy, both moaning and enjoying every single sensation that came to them. They felt like they could go on forever. Though, since Logan didn't think to bring over any protection, this was entirely unexpected, he would have to take it a bit easier than he'd prefer. He would have to slow his pace now and then so he didn't reach his climax to soon. He wanted to fulfill her each and every need. So he did just that. Even when they switched positions he took it easy, going between fast and hard to slow and soft. When she was on top he left her do her thing but told her when to take it slower. She never complained because she knew why and she also didn't want that moment to end too soon.

Once he was in control again he kept up with the same selective pace until she met her peak. And she soon let out her last cry of pleasure, arching her back, tightening her grip on him and scratching her nails down his back. He didn't care how much it hurt, but it felt good at the same time. Nevertheless, it was his signal to stop. He pulled out and before he could finish himself off she took over. She did as she did before, only with more intensity and he met his own climax quickly. His fingers were tangled in her hair as he let out a deep growl of pure euphoria and it was over, for that time. They did have to teach the next day.

This only last around an hour but it seemed longer to them. And it felt like they were in heaven. They shared another long, passionate kiss before they settled down in one another's arms, her head resting on his shoulder. He stroked her hair and she caressed his chest and stomach.

"That was amazin', Ro. I didn't think ya had it." He growled playfully. "I musta brought out the animal in ya."

She laughed. "Hmmm, maybe so. But I prefer to think that it was already there just waiting for the right moment to corner you." She said coyly.

Logan laughed this time. "Oh, I see. You're really a bad-ass in a lady's body."

"That's one way to put it, I suppose." She grinned.

"Well, I'm beat, darlin'."

"So am I."

They kissed one last time for the night, still feeling the after effects of their moment of pure intimacy. Then they said 'good night'. It wasn't much longer before they fell asleep wrapped up tightly in each others arms.

* * *

_Well, that was it:) I hope you enjoyed it:) It took me longer, but it also was a longer chapter:) I wonder if anyone recognized the first name I had Mystique give her new identity?:) If so, I just happened to pick it because I think it's nice and it sounds pretty:) If not, I got it from ERAGON - the Inheritance books:) Anyway, do as usual:) Thanks y'all; I appreciate your interest in my story and all of your reviews:) And another big "thanks" to Slickboy444:) You rock:) But you all do as well:) I'll start on my next chapter ASAP:) So stay tuned:) Even if it may take a while - lol:) Take care:) I love y'all:)_


	13. XCiting XPeriences

**Chapter Twelve**

Three days had rapidly passed by and it's early Friday evening. Nothing much had happened within in those days. Though most of the residents at the institute had heard Ororo's and Logan's night of merriment and, aside from the teachers, the whole mansion was now talking about it. Jean and Scott heard it well since they were in her room right near Ororo's. They couldn't resist to pick at the older couple for being so loud. And Logan didn't hold back, he told them that they weren't exceptionally tranquil themselves. That made Jean blush and Scott's face even turned slightly pink. After that statement from Logan they hadn't bantered them any further. None of the other students dared to pick. But by now, it wore off some. However, Laura had heard it quite loudly and clearly. She hadn't said anything about it due to the fact that she was unable to find a way to do so yet. She didn't understand what had taken place between the two and she was highly confused over the whole ordeal. She didn't want them to think she was being intrusive for she knew it was private, even if she didn't comprehend it. Being shut out from the real world for her entire life until recently has done no good for her. Although she's getting a taste of what being a kid is and learning what love is she's still far from the ordinary teen.

This had been an exciting day for Jean. It was her last day of college until fall and she was very pleased with her grades. And even though she was unsure of some of her classes it turned out that she passed all of them and with excellent credits. There was no doubt that Scott would be excited as well. Now they could spend more quality time together, which they had already started. They had went out to a drive-in movie where you could see two movies for the price of one. Surprisingly, they actually decided they would watch the movies, and if they were up to it they would have their fun afterwards. They weren't sure if they'd go home to do so or go somewhere like the last time. Neither of them really cared if they were heard at home, at least not anymore, but it still felt awkward knowing that they were heard by their elders. And they may have never known if not for teasing Ororo and Logan. Even so, it didn't bother them too badly. Besides, Ororo and Logan didn't seem to care if they were heard.

Rogue and Remy had been spending even more time together. She still knows nothing of Remy's secret for the prom and he's hoping to keep it that way. He can't wait to see the look on her face when she finds out that he's her date. It'll be a Kodak moment for sure. Lately he's been thinking about going out again since he hasn't really been going out anymore. But only to have a few drinks. For him it was overly odd, but he had not one, single notion to have sex with, or even flirt with any women. His eyes, and thoughts, were only on Rogue. He knew he'd soon have to spill the beans for he was finding it so much more complicated to deny how he felt for her. And he was also sure that everyone that saw them together knew the truth. Not to mention, so many have more than likely noticed his change in habit; he rarely went out. When he did he'd be home extremely early. Even Logan couldn't argue with this since he's usually up late. He's noticed himself that Remy is home much earlier and he never smells of sex, only smoke and alcohol. Strangely though, the person Remy wants to know of his feelings may not have a clue, while everyone else seems to have at least some idea. He's just hoping that it will all come out on prom night, if not sooner.

Rogue is struggling with the same thing. It's becoming largely complex for her to deny her true feelings. It was almost painful now to hold it in. She knew that sooner or later she'd have to let it out. She has also noticed Remy's habitual changes, though she doesn't know how deep it really goes. And doesn't know if Remy has a even the smallest hint to how she feels for him due to the mask she tries to hide behind. It's clear to the others for sure. She only hopes she can find a way to tell Remy without chasing him away. Especially since she has no idea if he loves her or not. His past reputation makes her wonder and often makes her cringe at the thought of sharing this with him. But all she can do is bring up the courage to do so and pray he feels the same. She'll be astonished to find out the verity.

* * *

Outside Laura was sitting on the ledge of the fountain, just staring into the water. She was thinking about what she heard three nights ago. And try as she might she couldn't shake that out of her head. She was so unknowing in those areas.

Ororo had noticed her sitting out there from one of the windows downstairs and felt, from the way Laura appeared to be spacing out, that something was bothering her. Ororo's motherly impulses kicked in and she thought she'd give a go at it. After all, Logan was Laura's father now so that would make Ororo an instant mother figure. But even so, she couldn't sit back while Laura seemed to be troubled. She was always there to help any of the students in any way she could.

Ororo opened the door and walked out towards Laura, who snapped out of the daze she was in as soon as she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. She jumped up and protracted her claws, ready for whatever was to come. She then saw it was Ororo.

Ororo was shocked. "Laura, honey, it's okay. I saw you out here and you looked troubled. Can I be of any help?"

Laura felt stupid. She should have relied on her senses and smelt who it was. She retracted her claws. "I'm sorry, Ororo. I guess I'm still jumpy." She said apologetically. Then she said, "Yeah, I've had lots on my mind . . . ." She trailed off.

"If you need someone to talk to I'm here."

Laura was deep in thought. She was tossing things around in her head. _"Should I ask her about that night? Or should I just leave it be?" _She thought. But then she figured she'd never feel better until she got it out. She began, uneasily. "Well . . . I was, um . . . I - I heard you and Logan Tuesday night. W-why were you moaning and screaming like that? Was he hurting you? It was odd. That's all." She started out slowly and had trouble spitting out the words but she soon allowed them to come.

Ororo seemed shocked again, but in a different way. Then she smiled. This was bound to happen sooner or later. "Firstly, I want to assure you that he wasn't by any means hurting me."

"I don't understand. Then why were you making those noises?"

"Honey, it's clear that we have much to talk about." Ororo said.

"You two love each other, right?" Laura questioned.

"Yes, we love each other very much, and that's why we were doing that."

"But what _were_ you doing?" Laura asked.

Ororo took a seat beside Laura. "I'll explain that soon enough. I want to make sure you know about other things before I explain more on that. It all ties together though." This was the first time that Ororo had to explain everything. She has discussed similar issues but never had to start at the beginning. She asked, "Do you know anything about the difference between girls and boys?" Ororo said.

"Uh, yeah, I do know the basics. But only by seeing the difference." Laura felt uncomfortable.

Ororo could see that and said, "I'm not trying to make you feel uneasy or anything of that sort. It's just that it looks as though you haven't only been cut off from the world but you have also been cut off from learning a huge bit of knowledge. Anything with emotions like love and so forth. It's something everyone has a right to know." She paused briefly then went on. "My next question is, not to be too personal but it's helpful, have you started your menstrual cycle yet also called a period?"

Laura looked at Ororo with a strange expression. "What's that?"

_"They didn't tell her anything."_Ororo thought with a hint of anger. She wanted to be certain that Laura knew the truth so she wouldn't withhold any information she needed to know. "Well, it looks as though you need to learn a lot. I'll answer your question soon, but I need to know if you know about the female anatomy at all. Do you?"

"Um, I know some." Laura felt like an enormous spotlight was shining on her. But she continued and brushed away the strangeness. "I know that these are breast." She pointed at her chest and Ororo's. "I know that this is a vagina." She pointed to her crotch. She was started to feel oddly nervous. "That's all I was told on that. And I have, before coming here, been bleeding monthly from down there. They only said that it happens to all girls when they reach puberty. Whatever that is. I know of nothing else." She was feeling even more weird every second she spoke.

"Oh heavens. At least you know the name of those body parts and where they are located." Ororo stated with a half smile. "It's a start, not much but it's something."

"Can you explain everything they neglected to explain? I've had so many questions about my body but they'd never hear any of it. Like I wasn't supposed to know or something. I wondered why exactly that I bled, and I still do." Laura scowled and was furious at the thought of not knowing.

"Of course, that's why I'm still sitting here with you . . . ." Ororo said and she placed her right hand on Laura's left shoulder.

Just then Logan was walking over to them. He had seen them sitting out there and was wondering what they were discussing. "Talkin' about me by any chance?"

"Oh, no. She heard us that night and had questioned me on it. I'm going to give her "the talk", pretty much. In a way it's so much more for they haven't told her near to nothing. She is completely clueless. She knows about some of the female anatomy . . . " Ororo was cut off.

"Okay. I'll let you females finish this." He said and was about to walk away.

"Sure, I know this isn't your cup of coffee." Ororo said grinning.

"Ya got that right, Ro." He said with a bit of a smile. He felt relieved that she didn't want him to stay and discuss this with them. He added, "And I'm sure ya know all there is about girls, and even boys. You're smart."

"Yes. I'll do fine." She told him, still smiling.

Logan gave Ororo a short kiss on the lips and Laura watched with interest. Shortly Logan had turned and left the two alone again. So Ororo went back to the discussion.

"Alright, I was about to say that the bleeding you've been experiencing is your menstrual cycle or period, whichever you prefer to call it. Most girls call it the curse."

"Oh, I don't blame them because it sucks to bleed from there. It's even sort of gross." Laura said.

"Yes, quite true, but most girls also experience cramping in their lower abdomen, headaches, backaches and other pains during it. Some have none of those, or a few, while others have them all. And it sometimes depends, one time the same girl may experience nothing, very little or a lot. Anyhow, now you know what that is. I suppose I need to explain why it is." Ororo took in a deep breath. "The reason is because you haven't become pregnant. Once a girl hits puberty, which is the term for all of these changes in your body caused by the female hormone called estrogen, they are capable of having children. Though they aren't completely matured enough to start at that young age. It all starts with a tiny egg called an ovum that travels down from the ovaries, in which they are stored, and through one of the two tubes called the fallopian tubes, which are about the size of the lead from a mechanical pencil. Very tiny. From there it travels to your uterus and embeds itself there waiting to be fertilized by a sperm, the male reproducing cell. It is even tinier than the egg. If the egg isn't fertilized you haven't became pregnant and that egg is released from your body along with a thin layer of the uterus wall, the uterus is also called the womb and it's were the baby survives until it's born. But that's what causes menstruation." She looked at Laura who was sitting there soaking up the new found knowledge.

Laura looked into Ororo's eyes. "Okay. It's sounds weird, but it makes sense."

"Yes, it is an odd thing. But it's nature. Okay, are there any more questions on that area? If so feel free to ask."

"Where do the sperm come from?" Laura felt ultimately awkward.

"Good question. A man has an organ called a penis and behind that they have two glands called the testis which are held within an outer skin called the scrotum. The sperm are stored in there, in both sides. When a man is engaged in any kind of sexual activity from sex to just masturbation, which I'll explain later, the sperm travel from there with a fluid called semen and move through a tube called the urethra and out of their body. We have a urethra too, and it's only for one purpose which is urinating. That's something I know you're familiar with. Anyway, that's where sperm comes from." Ororo thought for a moment then realized that she had forgot to mention some of the female sex organs. "And women also have, right near where we urinate from, a tiny erectile organ called the clitoris. It's used for sexual stimulation. The folds of skin are called the vulva: the outer and slightly bigger ones are the labia majora and the inner and smaller ones are the labia minora."

"This is a bit much to digest." Laura responded. She had been listening quite intently but knew she wouldn't remember all of the names.

"That is quite understandable. And it's no problem because I can give you extra lessons where it'll be just you and me, maybe Jean since she's a instructor. Would that make you uncomfortable?"

"No, she's a girl and she knows this all too."

"Also, she's studying medicine and learning to become a doctor, so she'll be learning this stuff all over again. It'll be fresh in her mind." Ororo explained.

"Do the breast have an odd names?" Laura asked curiously but with an odd smile. She rarely smiled but she was getting a kick out of all of the strange technical names.

Ororo laughed. "Well, they are called breast. The other parts aren't all that strangely named. The nipple is the nipple and the circular area that's slightly darker than your skin color is called the areola. But I'll explain much more in your lessons, okay. One more thing, do you even know what sex is?"

"Well, I've heard of sex."

"Do you know what takes place during sex?" Ororo asked, this entire time she felt like she was talking to a kid since Laura's comprehension on this subject was just as low and she was just as unknowing.

"Uh, I think. A man and woman are naked and they . . . um . . . ." Laura couldn't think of what to say.

"The man inserts his penis into the woman's vagina. Then they move causing skin on skin friction. That's basically what sex is. It's a great thing but it should only be done with someone whom you love."

"So, is that what you and Logan were doing? Having sex?" It just came to Laura. But then she thought for a bit. "Are you two trying to have a baby?"

Ororo's eyes widened some. "Oh, no. I forgot to say that you can have sex for the pleasure as well. Then you must use some kind of protection, which, as like other things here, I'll explain more thoroughly later in your lessons."

"When will these lessons start?" Laura was anktious to start.

"I was thinking Monday. And then you can have them all the way until Friday. They will be after your other classes. If I can't, for one reason or another tutor you I'm sure Jean will be able to fill in for. If that won't be uncomfortable for you." Ororo explained.

Laura thought for a bit. She knew Jean and knew she was very kind and sweet and that she was quite intelligent. "Okay. I don't think it'll be a problem."

"Good. I'm sure I'll be there but you never know when an emergency would come up. I suppose, to make it easier, that I'll speak to Jean about this beforehand. That way she can help out and know where we are. Sound good to you?"

"Sure. But, will I be learning this over the summer too?"

"It depends on how well you grasp everything. It very well may take a long time. But then again, you're a smart young lady and I'm sure you'll catch on quickly." Ororo was right. She wasn't stupid and with the right guidance she could learn pretty easily and perhaps even quickly. "Nonetheless, we will not rush this." Ororo made certain she had made her point. Her features were more stern.

"Oh, of course. I do want to learn this no matter how long it takes." Laura definitely understood that.

"Then, we'll start Monday?"

"Yeah. Thanks for everything."

"You are welcome, sweetheart." Ororo wanted to give Laura a hug but thought twice. She didn't want to startle her for she knew that Laura had never received the love that most children receive. So she waited to see what would happen.

Laura sat there silently for a while thinking. She seemed to have understood some of the things she was told, but she didn't understand everything by all means. She was really willing to learn though and was glad to finally know why she bled every month and to know some more than she had. Even if it was only a little for now. And she was also glad to know that she'd be getting lessons to fill in all of the gaps of confusion. Finally she would know everything there was to being an ordinary person. As ordinary as she could be. She's been learning what being a kid is, how love works and now about the birds and the bees.

Ororo figured she had said all she could for the time being. "Well, I suppose that's all. Unless you have any other questions."

"No, I'm fine." Laura didn't think she could withhold any more information at the moment.

Laura stood up and then Ororo did as well. She figured that all was said for that time. Laura thanked her again for sharing her knowledge and even did yet something else she rarely does, she gave Ororo a quick hug. Ororo had just enough time to return the move before Laura pulled away, not unkindly. Then just as quickly she ran off and into the house. Ororo stayed behind and smiled. She had a lot of work to do.

* * *

Jean and Scott had seen the second movie and were on their way back home. They loved going out to see movies and to dinner, things like that, so they'd never get bored with it. They weren't sure what they'd do next for Jean was kind of on the tired side. Scott thought that maybe they could go home and get ready for bed. Then they could cuddle up together and talk until they drifted off to sleep. Jean agreed with his idea.

"That sounds so nice." She said. "But you know what, we could take a shower together, instead of alone. We haven't done that yet."

Scott tossed the idea around in his head. "Hmmm, that definitely sounds nice." He said with a smile. He couldn't pass it up.

She grinned. "And just maybe we could have a quickie in the shower. I hope your rubbers work in water."

"They should, bu I thought you were tired?" He asked, not that he didn't like her suggestion. In fact, he love it.

"Well, yeah, but you'll be doing most of the work." She joked.

He laughed. "Really? It's more fun when you pitch in."

"I know, maybe I'll give some effort." She teased.

"It'll be more than some, believe me. You sure gave a good deal in the back seat, and even our first time." He said, knowing she couldn't keep herself from doing so.

"So true. Okay, we'll share the work evenly." She smirked.

He glanced over when he stopped at a red light with a grin on his face. "That sounds better. I give some, then you give some. And in between we'll do it together."

"You know what's funny here?" Jean just thought of their conversation.

"What baby?" He asked. Right at that moment it wouldn't be much longer before they were home.

"If anyone hears us talking they won't know what we're talking about."

"Good, because they don't need to know." He said smiling.

As the red light changed she said, "Oh, shut up and drive." She joked.

"You shut up, you're going to need to rest your voice or by tomorrow you won't be able to talk." He picked on her.

"Why, are you gonna make me scream so loudly that I'll go hoarse?"

"Maybe. I guess you'll have to wait and find out." He said as they neared the mansion gates.

Jean laughed and Scott ended up laughing as well. They couldn't help but goof around like that. Although, their conversation was pretty truthful.

After a few minutes Scott was driving towards the gates. Once they opened he pulled through, they closed behind him, and he drove on to the garage. When he reached it the door slid upward and allowed him to move in. Soon he was inside the garage and the door slid back into place.

Scott opened his door to get out. He looked over at Jean, who was about to do just the same. "Wait. Please allow me." He said.

"Oh, how kind of you." She said back.

He got out, shut his door and walked over to the passenger side. He opened the door and she got out. After he shut the door he caught Jean by complete surprise as he swooped her up in his arms and carried her bridal style.

"Oh, Scott. What's this for?" She asked. She wasn't complaining though.

"I figured it would be nice to give you an extra lift." He said smiling.

"Are you carrying me all the way upstairs?"

"Yep." He said. He then planted a soft, long kiss on her lips.

In no time Scott made his way through the garage and into the institute itself, with Jean still in his arms. Shockingly there was no one in the foyer or living room, but as he went past the rec room he noticed that Rogue and Remy were in there. They were throwing sly remarks back and forth, as usual. Also in there were Kitty and Kurt who were sitting on the floor working on a school project, and over sitting in one of the arm chairs was Warren, off in his own little world looking at a newspaper.

"Hey guys." Scott said.

Everyone looked over briefly and said "hi" then they all went back to what they were doing, except for Rogue and Remy. Remy couldn't help but make a comment about Scott carrying Jean.

"Well, I bet my _cherie _would love for _moi_t' carry her 'round like dat."

"Maybe. But don't ask me ta return tha favor." She looked like she surprised herself. She actually made a joke.

"Good one, Rogue." Said Scott.

"Yeah, but I hope you don't want me to either." Jean said with a grin. "Unless by telekinesis. Otherwise there's no way I could lift you."

Rogue laughed at the thought of seeing Jean carry Scott. She got even more unpredictable as the days passed. "That would be somethin' ta see."

"You carrying Remy would be too." It was Jean's turn to laugh.

Scott and Remy just looked at one another. They knew it would be a funny sight though. And soon they were laughing about it. Kitty and Kurt were listening in, of course. They looked at each other for a split second and laughed. The four looked at them.

"Sorry, it's a funny picture." Kurt said with a wide smile.

"Oh my gosh, yeah." Kitty was giggling.

Warren finally looked over with a cocked eyebrow. "Pardon me, but I overheard the conversation. I guess it would be a strange thing to see." He didn't laugh as the others did, but he did smile at the idea.

"It's nice to see you down here, and smiling." Scott said.

"Yeah, you're usually off to yourself. But we have a few people here who prefer to be left alone, so it's not a problem." Jean added to Scott's statement.

"I'm still adjusting to being around so many people. But at least here I don't have to feel like I'm being judged. We all have something that placed us here so I also don't have to hide who I am amongst any of you. That's the best part."

Remy thought some then said, "An' it's odd dat a little over a year ago some of us were enemies. Now look at us."

"Yeah." Said Rogue. Everyone else nodded in agreement. "But some of us still don't see eye to eye. Logan doesn't like you, Remy."

"An' I don't like him much. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want anyt'ing bad t' happen t' him. I jus' don't like 'im." Remy stated.

"Well, he is pretty hard on you." Said Jean.

Scott had to agree but he also knew he himself wasn't overly fond of Remy yet. "I do see where Logan's coming from, no offense. It's only the way he is."

They all did know how Logan was. He only did what he felt was right. And he felt the need to protect Rogue which made Remy a big problem for him.

Warren went back to his newspaper and Kitty and Kurt went back to their project while the other four made a little more small talk. Within that time Scott had put Jean down. As soon as they said there good nights he went to pick her up but she took him by surprise this time by jumping up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He grinned at her and she grinned back. Rogue and Remy looked from Jean and Scott to one another, they both recalled the time Rogue had done that to him. Rogue bit her bottom lip and gave him a sultry look of which he returned. No one else noticed because Jean and Scott were gone now and the others were busy with their own things. Rogue slid closer to Remy and laid her head on his chest. He didn't protest, he simply allowed her to do so. He placed his arm around her, planted a kiss on the top of her head and rested the side of his head on it. The two sat there and snuggled together. She was the first girl he's snuggled with, without sleeping with them first.

Meanwhile, Jean and Scott were upstairs prepping for their shower together. It was the first time for that. But even though they weren't worried about who saw them go in together or come out or what they may hear while they were in there - wink -, they were kind of nervous. It was a different place and it did bring some uneasiness for they weren't completely positive to where it would all go. Maybe they'd just shower and be done. Or perhaps they'd make out and end up having sex. More than likely they'd end up getting intimate. How could they resist it when they were both naked and in the shower.

Jean and Scott had went to their own rooms to strip down and put robes on. Scott grabbed one of his condoms to be on the safe side. This time Jean was going to stay in Scott's room so she had grabbed panties and PJs. They met up and headed for the bathroom. They were somewhat stunned to see that no one was in the hallway at that hour. They figured that some of the students may be in the kitchen snacking or something, not that they cared right now. Still they found it much less uncomfortable to see that no one had seen them get ready to go into the bathroom together.

They entered the bathroom, shut the door and locked it, just in case. Once inside Jean got the water ready and turned on the shower. After she and Scott disrobed they hopped into the shower together. They were still feeling the nervousness but it was wearing off slowly.

Everything they needed was in there so: shampoo, conditioner, soap/body-wash, etc. First they did what they'd do if they were alone, they took turns standing under the shower so they could rinse off and what not. Then once they had washed they ended up kissing, as they had no doubt they'd do. Soon the kissing became heavy making out and groping one anothers wet, naked flesh. They couldn't hold back even if they tried. The moment was set and it was entirely inevitable.

Within moments they were falling into an abyss of desire. They could no longer control the longing inside of them. Scott was very glad that he had remembered to bring protection. Without saying a single word the couple prepared themselves. Jean took the condom, opened it and place it over Scott's erection; he placed the wrapper on the side of the tub.

It wasn't long before Jean raised her right leg up and hooked it around Scott's waist and he entered her, making her gasp out of pleasure. They stayed in that position for as long as they could. He moved at a steady, fairly fast pace. She moved with him as much as she could given the way she was standing and moaned blissfully. After they went at it that way a while Scott lifted Jean up and she locked her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist, not unlike she did when he brought her upstairs. It was a little easier for her to join in with this position. She could bounce up and down with less difficulty. This particular position gave her more feeling and she felt fully intoxicated. Scott was experiencing all the same, except the feelings were different for him since he was a man.

They both were reaching their climaxes as they moved together fast but keeping a steady rhythm. Jean was nearly screaming as their bodies slammed together. Being in the shower made it so much more adventurous and erotic, so they've never felt anything like this until now. And they weren't regretting one bit of it. Jean was the first to reach her peak, arching her back, throwing her head back and letting out a cry of pure joy and pleasure. Soon afterwards Scott met his own, buried his face in Jean's neck and gently bit the soft skin and he let out a moan that said he was fully satisfied.

Jean then unwrapped her legs and lowered them down to the tub and they two shared a deep, passionate kiss before they turned off the shower and got out. They looked at each other and smiled. As they grabbed their robes and put them back on they could hardly keep there eyes off of one another. The only time their gaze broke was when Scott threw away the used condom.

Jean stepped close to Scott and presses her now covered body against his, which was covered too obviously. "That was the best sex we've had yet."

"I know. I guess it's because of the setting. A steamy shower. It made it so impulsive and daring. Anyone could have walked by." Scott said.

"Oh, and that makes it so much better. Although it was a tad bit unnerving knowing that anyone could have heard us."

"I'll have to agree on all of that. I hope no one did, now I don't care because we're done. But why don't we head to my room and get ready for bed." He said.

"Sure. Now I truly am exhausted." She stated.

The couple exited the bathroom and this time they weren't so lucky. Alex was standing outside the door. When he saw Jean and Scott his eyes widened.

"What?" Scott asked.

"Um, nothing. Were you two . . . you know . . . having sex in there?" Alex was feeling totally awkward already.

"Of course we were." Jean said smiling.

Alex looked at them. "I thought so. Sorry, but it's hard not to hear. I was walking by and heard noises. I knew it had to be you two."

"And why would it have to be us?" Scott asked, of course he began to feel just as Alex was.

"Because if it was Ororo and Logan everyone downstairs would have heard. Plus they're down there. And I don't think anyone else is banging here yet."

"True. So you caught us." Jean joked. She could sense the strangeness between Scott and Alex and she completely understood. It would be odd if it was her little sister who walked by.

"Well, I'll let you two go. Next time inform me, that way I won't have to hear you two. If you weren't my big bro Scott I could care less." Alex stated half jokingly for he knew it could be nigh impossible for them tell him when they were going to have sex.

"Oh, I understand. We'll try to let you know." Scott played along.

"Well, 'night."

"Yeah, same to you little bro."

"Goodnight." Jean said.

Then Alex went his way and Jean and Scott went their own, the two brothers still felt weird. It was overly awkward that he was the one out there but not bad. At least it wasn't the Professor for even though he wasn't of relation he was still a fatherly figure to them.

Jean and Scott entered his room and closed the door. Jean put on her panties and PJs while Scott just pulled out a pair of boxers and put them on. The young couple crawled into his bed and cuddle up together, as they planned originally.

"That was weird." Jean commented about Alex.

"Yeah, extremely. But I have a feeling that one day it'll be the one on the outside of a door. I can't say I'm looking forward to that day." Scott didn't want to think about his brother having sex. Who would? And that thought made him understand one-hundred percent how Alex had just felt.

"I know. I would find it weird if I knew my sister was having sex. She better not be, she's only 14. I'd kick her butt."

Scott laughed. "Alex is 16, but still I hope he'll wait until he's at least 18. But I think I'm okay, he's not even dating anyone yet."

"Neither is Sara, well that I know of." Jean stated.

They talked a bit more and shared a kiss. Soon they were laying there in silence just relishing each other company. About five minutes later they were drifting off into a deep and peaceful sleep.

* * *

Rogue and Remy had been hanging around each other all evening and he enjoyed every moment of it. However he needed to get out for a couple hours. He has been debating with himself for quite some time now. But this outing had nothing to do with getting laid, strangely. He only needed some time away to have some drinks.

"I wish I could go." Rogue said. She really did want to but she was underage. "Why can't ya go somewhere I could go? Ya know, places that eighteen-year-olds can go as well?"

Remy gave her an odd expression. "Oh, I'm sorry, _Cherie_. But I jus' wanna get out for a bit. Only a couple hours."

Rogue knew they should probably spend time apart. She was only afraid he'd go back into his old ways. "OK."

"Don't worry, _mon amour_, I won't be too late. So you can wait up for _moi_. If you'd like."

"Are ya gonna be plastered."

"Remy won't be."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I'm only havin' a few drinks. I'll be lucky if I get a buzz."

"Alright. See ya later then." She wanted to say 'I love you'.

Rogue threw her arms around Remy's neck and pulled him close. They hugged for a while. And then before he left he kissed her long and passionately. He was beginning to debate again whether he should go or not, but he had to.

"I'll come t' you when I get back. Unless you wanna wait down here."

"I'll wait on tha couch."

"_Tres bien_." He kissed her again and then they separated.

Rogue didn't know why she had a bad feeling about him going out, but she did. Maybe she was just worried that he'd meet someone he'd find interesting and he wouldn't come home until the early hours of the morning. She didn't know for sure what it was but it felt odd to feel that way. She tossed the uneasy feeling aside and curled up on the couch, staring through the big window across the room. It was dark but she wasn't necessarily looking out it for the scenery anyhow. These worries made her realize that she had to tell him how she felt, very soon.

Remy had already gotten his motorbike and started riding off into the night. It was a beautiful night too. He felt bad for leaving Rogue at the mansion on such a night. It would have been great if he could have taken her along. He made a mental to note to make sure he did so in the future,even if they couldn't find a club that allowed people under twenty-one he 'd find a way. He was Remy LeBeau and he always found that the saying "if there's a will there's a way" always worked for him.

After driving for about fifteen minutes he arrived at a place he used to go a lot when he first came to New York. It wasn't bad and there usually wasn't much trouble. People seemed to be just happy-go-lucky. But as he parked his bike and began walking towards the entrance he felt this weird feeling that someone was watching him, and perhaps even following him. He looked all around but found no one. Not one glimpse.

"You're losin' it." He mumbled to himself.

He entered the club and went straight to the bar to order a drink. Much has changed since the last time he was there. Of course it's been quite some time. He took a seat at the bar and waited for his drink. He decided to try a Rum and Coke.

As he sat there he glanced around the club. Some of the people there he had never seen before. Others he had seen very often. The bartender had brought him his drink while he was looking around and sat it in front of him.

"Thanks." He said as he paid him.

"You're welcome."

He drank about half of it by the time he saw some girl he knew he hadn't meet or even seen before who was moving towards him. She was tall and well toned, from what he could see of her, and she had a full bust. Her hair was strawberry blonde, with more red than blonde, and she was very attractive and beautiful. He couldn't help but notice her.

"Do you mind if I take a seat beside you?" She asked.

He looked at her oddly but said, "I don't t'ink it'll hurt."

She sat down and faced him. "I haven't seen you here. And I know I'd remember those eyes and that accent. I love them both."

"Well, I never saw you when I came here either." He said. There was something weird about her. Not many people loved his eyes. Lots of women had said they love his accent though. But for some reason he began to feel the way he felt when he was outside.

"I just started coming here a few weeks ago. How long has it been since you've been here?"

"Months." He replied.

"You're very handsome, and sexy." She said seductively.

"Have you had many drinks tonight?" He asked. He only wanted to make sure she wasn't drunk, not that he hasn't be hit on before.

"No. I only had one and then I've been getting water. I'm not a big drinker. I just think you're hot."

Remy couldn't help but smirk. Normally he would take that as a green light and he'd flirt back. Then soon he'd be doing the girl somewhere. Either in one of the bathrooms or outside somewhere. This time he felt differently. All he could think of was Rogue. He ended up saying something he never would have said before.

"If you're lookin' t' have sex wit' me den look elsewhere. I have someone." He couldn't believe he said that.

"Then why isn't she here with you?"

"She's only eighteen."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. But I wasn't exactly looking to have sex, maybe just some good, clean fun." She stood up right in front of him, standing between his legs.

The old Remy would have taken her just like that. "What're you doin'?" He asked.

She said nothing she leaned in and kissed him. He tried to pull away but she held tight. But soon he managed to.

"What de hell is your problem?" He said with some anger. He didn't want to cause trouble at that place. _"I really did change."_ he thought.

"What's yours?" She retorted.

He got up, finished his drink in one big gulp and walked away from the woman. She looked irritated. He didn't even bother to look back, he kept walking. However, the woman followed him out and all the way to his bike in the parking lot. And he felt that someone was there so he turned. But when he did so he didn't see the woman he spoke to, he saw Mystique. She was furious.

"So, you're tryin' t' pick Remy up, _non_?" He said casually with a grin.

"No, just trying to sweep you away from my daughter." She said with a voice so cold it was almost frightening.

"Well, keep tryin' but you ain't gonna win." He told her never losing his grin.

"That's what you think. I've still been watching you and Rogue. I'll figure something out." Her voice was even colder.

"I don't care, watch us. Maybe sometime you'll get a good show. But no matter what you do or try you can't keep us apart." He stated with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

She smiled menacingly. "What are you going to do about it? You're nothing but a low-life, good for nothing swamp rat. You have no right to be around her, especially the way you have been. I've seen you two all over each other."

"An' you have no right t' tell us what t' do. She doesn't have t' listen to a damn t'ing you say. Neither do I." He was about to put on his helmet and get on his bike when she grabbed the front of his shirt and harshly pulled him to her so that his face was inches from hers.

"Stay away from her." She said with complete hatred.

"_Non_, you stay de hell away from us both." He grabbed her hand and roughly removed it. "An' keep your hands to yourself."

She seemed to be fuming. "You keep your dirty hands off of my daughter."

"You're really pissin' me off." He said and his eyes flashed red.

Mystique grinned. "Good. That's what I want."

"Why would you want dat?" Remy asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Sorry, I'm not telling you. Just keep away from her, unless you must be with her in those stupid, psycho lessons you're all being taught at Xavier's." She said more coldly than the last time.

"De only way you can keep us apart is if you are constantly wit' us. Otherwise, you might as well leave us alone. This is a battle you ain't gonna win."

She laughed again as she did before. "You don't get it. I'll do whatever it takes to separate you. And I do mean 'whatever it takes'. You'd be unwise to not listen. Keep that in mind."

"An' keep dis in mind, nothin' you do will do such a t'ing. She cares 'bout me. An' I actually care 'bout her." He admitted he cared but still couldn't say he loved her.

"No, you just want to f-ck her. I know people like you. You disgust me." She spat.

"Dat is not true. I do care 'bout her, for more than dat. Otherwise I would have had her by now. Believe me."

"You're not saying you love her, are you? Because I do not believe you're capable of that emotion." She said with a horrible, cruel tone in her voice.

Remy was getting even more angry. "How would you know? Like you ever showed dat you loved anyone, even your own children. I don't t'ink you even know what love is, Mystique."

"How dare you." She scowled at him.

"I'm only sayin' what I believe t' be true. Who in their right mind would treat their kids dat way? I know how it feels."

"You asshole." She was getting more and more angry herself.

"What, can't handle de truth. Oops, my bad. Now jus' make like a tree an' leave. I'm done wit' dis conversation an' I'm _not_ havin' it again. You know where I stand, an' where Rogue stands. If you ever want her t' be 'round you den you have t' start bein' a better mother an' show her you care." He said this as he put his helmet on.

Mystique looked at him with malice. She was infuriated. _"Stupid punk?" _she thought.

After a brief moment of glaring at him, she tried to strike him in the face but he was too quick and he caught her hand. She glared at him viciously and pulled it away. They stared at each other with pure disdain. After a moment she thought she'd be able to take him off-guard and kick him in the stomach, but again she failed. He caught her foot just as swiftly. She glowered at him.

"This still isn't over." She snarled and she looked terribly heinous.

"It is for _moi_. See you 'round." He said with a smirk. He loved the fact that he could push her buttons so badly.

Mystique was beyond reasoning now. She was more furious than she had been in a long time and at that moment she would murder someone without a single thought. "I don't know who the hell you think you are but in my eyes you're nothing. Nevertheless, if you want to play it the hard way then so be it. I'll be keeping my eyes on both of you. If you make _one_ wrong move on her I'll _kill_ you with my bare hands. And don't think I won't." Her words were as cold as ice and she made sure she left by going past him so she could push him. She shoved him harshly and stalked off away from him. Soon she was out of sight. He couldn't help but pity anyone who had to deal with her that night.

"Seriously, what's dat woman's problem?" He murmured as he mounted his bike, revved up the engine and sped off towards the mansion. He was telling Rogue about what had happened. She had every right to know. And he even figured that maybe he should share a few other things too. He was having trouble concealing his feelings lately.

* * *

At the institute all was mostly quiet. It was nearly 12:30AM and nearly everybody was in bed. Logan normally would have been out or downstairs but lately he's been sleeping with Ororo. She still needed him with her, even though Charles had helped her and she no longer had nightmares. All the same, she was a little nervous anymore about being alone at night. Jean and Scott were obviously asleep in his room. They've been out for hours now. Rogue had told Kitty that she would be late coming to their room, unless she ended up staying with Remy. Kitty just said "Okay" with a smile, she completely understood. So the only person at the mansion, aside from Rogue who was still on the soffa, that wasn't in bed was Laura. She, like Logan, had much trouble sleeping. She's been through so much in so little time. She spent most of her nights awake for the most part. It's not as bad now since she doesn't have to worry about as much. But still the old demons had never entirely left. She still had an uneasiness about Hydra finding her and trying to take her. She knew that it was illegal for them to even get near her but she also knew how those people are. That wouldn't stop them.

Laura had recently walked downstairs to get a glass of water. She figured that if she couldn't sleep she might as well get something to drink, for her throat felt dry. Ever since earlier that day she's been thinking about what Ororo had gone over with her. Lots of it still felt foreign to her, but in time she'd grasp the knowledge and she knew she would.

She made her way to the living room so she could get comfortable. She had no idea that anyone else was down there. But when she came near the room she saw that a dim light was on and as she entered she smelt someone. After a second she recognized it to be Rogue. Laura walked over to the couch and saw that she was curled up and asleep. Apparently she had fallen asleep. Laura didn't didn't want to wake her but she decided she should. Maybe she fell asleep accidentally and didn't want to be asleep.

Laura placed her hand on Rogue's shoulder and shook her. Rogue started. "Huh . . . what is it?" She jumped in an upright sitting position.

"Um, sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you." Laura said, her face revealed no emotion.

"Oh, it's OK. I musta fell asleep." Rogue said as she began to come to.

Laura said, "Yeah. Why were you down here though?"

"I'm waitin' for Remy ta get back. He went out for a bit."

"Why are you waiting for him?" Laura asked.

"Well, I told him I'd be here." Rogue answered.

"But why?" Laura was almost like a small child in that stage where they keep asking "why".

Rogue smiled slightly. She understood that Laura wasn't used to any of this so how could she know. "It's hard ta explain, sugar. Hopefully one day you'll understand." She didn't know how to go about with it.

Laura raised an eyebrow and then looked into Rogue's eyes and within them she saw the same look that she saw in Ororo's when she spoke of Logan. Laura knew that Ororo and Logan were in love so she just happened to ask, "Is it because you two are in love?"

This caught Rogue completely off-guard. What could she say? How could she respond to something like that? She figured the only way was to be honest, at least from her own side of it. "Truthfully, I love him. So you're half right. I don't know how he really feels. By his actions it seems he feels tha same but it's hard ta tell. How could you tell?"

"I've seen the look in Ororo's eyes when she talks about Logan. You had that same look. So I thought I'd ask."

"Ya know, ya could take a seat." Rogue suggested.

Laura gazed at Rogue but said, "No thanks. I wasn't going to stay down here long. Besides, I hear Remy's motorcycle. He'll be back soon and I assume you want to talk alone. He's a good person, but I don't trust him. So be careful."

Rogue laughed. "Don't worry, I will. Just don't attack him like Logan did."

"Do not fear. I won't. But if he hurts you I may have to." Laura said and a hint of a grin formed on her lips.

"I love you too." Rogue said. And she decided to add something. "Hey, if ya ever need someone else ta talk to other than Ororo, just ta get somethin' off your mind, feel free ta come ta me."

"Will do. But I better get going. The Cajun will be in here soon. Good night."

Rogue smiled. "OK. Good night."

Laura always felt oddly when she acted affectionate but lately she's been getting more and more used to it. She gave Rogue a quick hug, which Rogue returned, and she left the room. Rogue sat there and watched her. It was weird but Rogue kind of looked at Laura like a little sister. Although, Laura could definitely fend for herself and she was just as protective over her as Logan. Rogue grinned at the thought.

As Rogue sat there Remy strode into the room. "Good, you're still awake."

"Yeah well, Laura woke me. I did doze off." Rogue admitted and she glanced at the clock. "You're home early."

"I had a distraction, so t' speak." Remy's eyes narrowed and he walked over and sat right beside Rogue.

She looked into his stunning eyes. "What kind of distractions? You're OK, aren't ya?" She was worried.

"_Oui_, Remy's fine. Jus' a bit irritated." He had no idea where to even start.

She gazed deeply into his eyes. "Ya sure you're OK? Ya seem tense."

"Yeah, I'm fine . . . . " He trailed off. But then he figured it's now or never. He had to tell her about the 'woman' and that it wasn't just any woman, it was Mystique. "Alright, listen - dis woman hit on me . . . ." He was cut off.

"Remy, ya sleazy swamp rat." Rogue said crossly.

"No, no, it's not'ing like dat." He said but she wouldn't let him go on.

"Yeah, sure it's not. I seriously thought ya had . . . ." This time he cut her off by placing his right index finger softly her her lips.

"Easy there, _chere_. You didn't let me explain. I actually turned her down." Rogue's eyes widened and he removed his finger. "I couldn't believe it b'cause she was smokin', but you're even more so _mon cherie_." He took her hand and kissed it, hoping to calm her more.

It worked for she smirked at him. "OK, so what happened then?" She folded her arms and tilted her head slightly, waiting.

"Dat woman was Mystique."

"What!?" She said a bit louder than she intended to. "Mystique?" she lowered her voice. "But what did _she_ want? Why would she make a move on ya."

Remy rolled his eyes. "She's still tryin' t' keep us apart. I put it out quite clearly dat it wasn't gonna happen. I guess she was hopin' I'd have flirted back an' maybe even f-cked her so she could tell you dat I was still a player or somet'ing like dat. But her plans were foiled - again. She was furious."

"Why didn't ya go with her, before ya knew who she was of course?" Rogue asked. She was angry about Mystique but she was more happy to hear that Remy didn't act on it. Months ago he would have without one single thought or regret.

"I've been workin' so hard t' be a better person an' not messin' wit' a bunch of women is part of it." He wanted to tell her his feelings, but again he froze up.

Rogue gazed deeply into his eyes. "But that was just _one_ woman. And ya haven't went out in a long time. So most likely ya haven't had sex in a long time" She was puzzled. "There's somethin' more. There has ta be. Doesn't there?"

Remy gazed back. _"Jus' tell her de truth. Tell her you love her." _he thought. He took a deep breath, _"It's now or never." _he thought. "Fine, t' be honest, Rogue, it was b'cause all I could t'ink 'bout was you. No matter how attractive de women were de one I thought 'bout was de one at home . . . you. An' in my mind you're de most gorgous and attractive woman I've ever laid eyes on, an' not only on de outside."

Her eyes watered some. "What are ya sayin' Remy Lebeau?"

"I guess I'm sayin' dat I - I . . . ." He had trouble getting it out. He had never said the words, aloud, in his life. He took in a deep breath. "_Je t'adore de tout mon coeur_." He decided it would be easier to say it in French. And it was.

Tears streamed down her face, but they were happy tears. "Oh, Remy. _Moi aussi. Je t'adore cheri_."She felt it was right, and easier herself, to respond in French. It always sounded so romantic.

He smiled at her and cupped his hands over her cheeks. With his thumbs he wiped away her tears. Then he leaned closer and they gazed deeply into one anothers eyes, until he pressed his lips to hers and then their eyes shut. She kissed him back and the kiss deepened. They had finally told each other the truth about how they felt for each other. Something they both had wanted to do for so long, but couldn't. And now that it was out they felt so relieved and that pressure released.

They kept on kissing for minutes at at time, their hands roamed some but they focused more on each others lips. It felt so good. And for Rogue just being able to touch someone or kiss someone felt amazing. She could do it forever.

When the kiss ended Remy looked into her beautiful eyes again. "How long have you felt dat way?" He was curious.

"For a while. How 'bout you?"

"Same here. I jus' had no idea how t' tell you. I'm not good wit' dat kinda t'ing. An' I know you aren't either. But we finally spit it out an' if feels wonderful. I've never felt dis way for any other woman in my life. An' you are de first person I've ever said dat to, English or French."

"Wow. I guess I should be thrilled, sugar." She smiled and this time she cupped her hands over his cheeks and caressed his face with her thumbs. "Oh, I love ya so much." She was no longer afraid to say it. She then captured his lips with her own and they shared another long, passionate kiss.

Soon they stretched out on the sofa with her laying on him between his legs. His arms were both around her, his right hand stroked her hair. Her head was on his chest just below his chin and her left arm was somewhat around him while her right arm was over his. She held on to his arm. As they laid there they both thought the same thing but Remy said it first.

"So, what 'bout Logan? When he sees us in de mornin' he'll gut me."

"I was kinda thinkin' tha same thing, but no he won't. At least this time we're not in your room." She said.

"Yeah, so we should be good den." He stated and he kissed her head.

"Mmm-hmmm." She planted a single kiss of affection to his neck.

It didn't take long for them to fall asleep. They knew they'd be seen but they could care less. Neither of them felt like getting up and out of the position they were in. It felt extremely good to lay like that. Now they no longer had to hide their feelings from one another. Life would be a better journey.

* * *

Early Saturday morning nearly all of the mansion's residents were asleep. Rogue and Remy had awaken and all they could do when the looked at each other was smile for they remembered everything that took place before they fell asleep. They had decided on heading upstairs to their rooms unnoticed but their plan was obstructed before they got close to the stairs.

"Hey. Have a nice night?" Came a gruff voice from behind them causing them both to jump. And if they had had to use the bathroom they may have had an accident.

"Oh, hi Logan. Yep, it was great." Rogue said nervously.

"Yeah, it sure was." Remy stated.

"Good, 'cause in a couple hours I'm givin' a training session. Be suited up and ready. And Gumbo, Xavier wants to see you in his study pronto. Hank's there too." Informed Logan. Remy and Rogue gave him an odd look.

"I didn't plan this. He just told me to let you know as soon as you woke up."

Remy looked at Rogue. "Well, I'll see you in a bit den."

"Why can't I come with ya?" She asked suspiciously.

Logan actually lent a hand for Remy. "Chuck only wants him Stripes."

Remy gave Rogue a hug and a quick kiss on the lips and took off. He knew exactly what he was wanted for and, in a way, he couldn't wait to get there. Hank and Charles have been working almost steadily on his special contact lenses.

Rogue watched him dash off with a look of confusion and a hint of suspicion in her expression. Every time she thought she had him figured out something would happen that put her in the dark again. But she realized that he'd share whatever it was with her as soon as he could.

Logan picked up on everything from the expression on her face. "Don't worry, it's nothin' bad." He could hardly believe he was helping Remy. But when he thought about it he was actually helping Rogue. He knew how much this whole prom thing would mean to her with Remy taking her. He sure didn't want to blow the cover.

"Then why can't I know?"

"Listen, you'll find out soon enough." Logan placed his right hand on Rogue's left shoulder.

"But . . . wait, you know?" She was truly lost.

"All of us teachers do. Nuff said." With that Logan turned. "Remember, be suited up in two hours. Make sure Kitty's up and ready." And he was off.

Rogue was now alone and deeply confused. _"Maybe it's somethin' 'bout his past that he doesn't want me ta know quite yet. Yeah that's it."_ she thought, hopefully. Although she wasn't fully convinced by her thought she allowed it to assure her some. She then made her way upstairs.

In Professor X's study Remy had already seated himself. He was excited to see their work. Even if he didn't like the idea of concealing his eyes. He used to hate them but he's grown to love them.

"So, whatcha got?" He asked.

"Will you do the honors Hank?" Xavier said gesturing to a small plastic case with a little bottle that resembled that of an eyedrops bottle.

"On it." Hank said back and he picked up the case and the bottle and moved over to Remy. "Here are the contacts. And this is an extra strong contact solution, since these cover your entire eye. It will prevent any kind of irritation to make wearing them as comfortable as possible." Hank handed the two things to Remy. "Go ahead. Touch them, see how soft and flexible they are."

Remy did just that. He opened the case and on each side were the contacts, resting in an indention that fit perfectly to them. And they looked so realistic, like a set of brown eyes starring back at him. He removed one and felt it; Hank was right, they were quite soft and very flexible. They felt as if they would be extremely pleasant to wear. He looked up at Hank.

"If you want you can test them now. That way we'll know if they work. You should be able to see clearly and they should move with your eyes." Hank handed him a hand-held mirror. Remy took it.

Xavier sat behind his desk and watched. After they new if the contacts worked well he could tell Remy more about prom night. He needed to be acknowledged further about Principal Kelly. And he needed to be reminded that no matter what he couldn't cause any sort of commotion.

Remy placed the one contact back into its spot and laid the mirror over his lap with the case and bottle. He then picked up the bottle, untwisted the cap and put a couple drops into each eye. Then he picked up the mirror with his left hand. In a matter of seconds he had both contacts in his eyes. He moved his eyes as one normally would, in all different directions to see how the reacted. He couldn't even tell he had put them in. They were indeed comfortable.

He looked into the mirror and moved his eyes again, this time he could see how they moved. It was like they were his eyes entirely. He looked at Hank and then the Professor with a grin on his face. "_Eclatant_! Dese are wonderful." He exclaimed.

"I'm glad you like them. So they feel comfortable?" Hank said.

"_Oui_, very. I can't even tell I'm wearin' dem. "

"Great. My job is done here then. Now I'll let you take over, Charles"

"Yes, thank you Hank."

As Hank was leaving Remy thanked him for the contacts. He wondered why he still had to stay in the room though. But his question was soon answered.

"Remy, you're wondering why you are still here, aren't you?" Xavier asked and he steepled his fingers same as always.

"A little."

"Well, I had received a phone call from Principal Kelly a few days ago and he had dug up your whole history, criminal records and all. He was against allowing you to attend but I talked him into still letting you. Still there are some matters I must discuss with you. He's planning on giving you a thorough search: metal detectors, frisking and etc. So be warned. And you are prohibited to bring playing cards." Xavier still couldn't help but smile and Remy's lips formed a grin. "I know that would sound bizarre but given what you do with them, well you know where I'm going. But, even without those you could cause a problem if you choose to use your powers. So no matter what don't."

"I know, you've went over all dat b'fore. What if it's for good?" Remy said.

"If you must use them to help someone then that's completely different standards. In that case use them, but I advise you to use them carefully and as discreet as possible."

"OK. Is dat all?"

"Yes. If anything else comes up I'll inform you. But, may I suggest that before you leave that you remove the contacts and place them into the case." Xavier said with a grin.

"Oh, yeah. I don't won't Rogue t' see dem. Not yet." Remy then took them out, placed them back in their case and closed it. Soon the case and drops were in his pocket. "Thanks." He said before he left.

"You're welcome." Professor X said.

Remy was gone in an instant and Charles remained where he was for the time being. He trusted that Remy would do well at the prom. But he felt uneasy about Principal Kelly. That man was a problem, though not one that couldn't be solved. Either way, Xavier knew Rogue would keep Remy's head on straight.

* * *

The two hours had just about passed and it was nearly time for Logan's training session. In this session everyone would be taking part, except for Xavier, although he'd be running it and monitoring from above. Most of the students were talking about it. It may be a little chaotic with everybody, but Logan figured that the new recruits were ready. He decided he'd split them up into teams, he wasn't sure yet to how many. He'd have to figure that out when the time came.

At this moment they were all in their uniforms and heading to the Danger Room. Laura was listening to all of the talking and she kept hearing some of them complain about "Logan Sessions". She caught on quickly and realized it was just the name they gave to Logan's training sessions. It really didn't take a rocket scientist to work that out though. The title was pretty self-explanatory. She didn't know the whole story to it, but soon enough she would.

As they all entered the Danger Room Scott was talking to Logan. He was wondering if Laura was going to use any code-names since most of them did. Logan told him he wasn't sure because he had mentioned the idea to her before but she hasn't said anything more about it. Scott told Logan he'd check in with her. All Logan did was nod.

Scott looked around and after a bit he finally spotted her. She and Jamie were standing facing one another and talking. Laura didn't hang out with anyone really, though if she did it seemed like she leaned towards Jamie for some reason. Maybe because they are the only two who are being taught at the mansion instead of going to high school. That would make sense at least. But they've become good friends.

Scott weaved his way through the crowd towards Laura and Jamie. When he was almost there he noticed Jean. She looked over and saw him coming that way.

"Hey. What's up? I haven't seen you since this morning." Jean said.

"Oh, nothing at the moment. Just preparing for another "Logan Session". And I'd like to speak with Laura for a sec." He said back.

"Same here, except for the talking to Laura part. Why do you need to speak with her though?" She same smiling.

"Well, I was wondering if she wants to use a codename. Logan said he's mentioned it to her but she hasn't gotten back. Either she doesn't want one or she is finding it hard to come up with one. Or perhaps she hasn't said anything yet. Who knows. I figured it would be nice to know since when we train or when we're actually in a battle we use them. You and Rogue being the exception, you two choose to be odd." He said then he had to pick some at the end. Unfortunate for him Rogue was walking by at the same time. So he got looks from her and Jean. Nothing angry however.

Jean hit Scott playfully on the arm. "I just never found one that worked." She laughed at his teasing though.

"Uh, and 'Rogue' pretty much is a codename. I only choose ta use it as my overall name. Gotta a problem with that, leader man?" Rogue joked, once again, and she too hit him playfully.

"No. And what's with all of the joking lately?" Scott asked, not that he didn't like it. It was great to see Rogue happier.

"Bein' able ta touch lifted my spirits I guess."

"Yeah, and being able to touch Remy probably helped a good deal." Jean stated with a smile and a wink. Scott and Rogue both looked at Jean. "What?"

After a moment Rogue said, "Yeah, but we didn't get busy yet."

At that particular time Remy came striding over. "Busy wit' what?"

Jean and Scott glanced at him and Rogue spun around. "Never ya mind."

Scott kissed Jean. "I better get over there before the session starts. See you all later." He smiled. He then turned and made his way over to Laura and Jamie.

Rogue, Remy and Jean talked a little. Mainly about the training. Logan was unpredictable and they were all wondering what he had in store for them this time. They knew, nonetheless, that it would be hard. It always was. But it paid off quite well and they were glad of that.

Scott stood by Laura and Jamie. They both stopped talking and their eyes automatically were on him. Jamie because Scott was the leader but Laura more so because she smelt him and she saw him out of the corner of her eye.

The first thing that came out of Jamie's mouth was, "Are we in trouble?"

Scott raised an eyebrow. "No, but should you be?"

"No." Jamie spit out.

"OK then. I wanted to speak with you, Laura. Nothing bad." Scott said. "Jamie, you can stay if you'd like. It's not personnal either." He added as Jamie was about to leave them alone.

Laura seemed confused. "What is it about then?"

"I was talking to Logan about a codename for you. Most of us have one but Rogue and Jean don't, so you don't have to. It's only an option." He explained.

Laura stared at him briefly, appearing to be deep in thought. Shortly she said, "Hmmm, yeah. He has mentioned it and I have been thinking. Does it matter what it is?"

"Not really, as long as it goes with your powers and such."

"Yeah, I've noticed. Well, I was kinda thinking along the lines of something that went with my claws. . . ." She paused but Scott didn't say anything, allowing her to take her time. Finally she went on. "The name 'Talon' sorta popped into my head. Positive or negative." She said.

Scott thought a bit. It did fit her. "Sounds good, so I'd have to say positive. And it sure fits, but let me inform Logan and then he can announce it before training begins. OK."

"Will I be using that from now on when we train and whenever we'd fight? Unless you all can come up with something better." It was almost as if she were testing him.

"Well once your idea's announced we'll see if anyone has any suggestions and take it from there." He said knowing there would, most likely, be other ideas.

"I'm sure I like Talon, but I'm open to suggestions. Is that all you needed?" She said.

"Yes. Except, good luck with the training."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll do well. Remember, I am Logan, so to speak." She said with a hint of a smile.

Scott laughed. "You'll do splendidly." He patted her on the back and left to find Logan.

He soon found Logan and told him of Laura's codename and that she'd at least hear other suggestions. Logan took a moment to contemplate it then he said, "Talon does seem to fit extremely, so it definitely works. But it's good she's open to options."

Laura and Jamie made their way towards Logan as he attracted everyone's attention and made the announcement. He stated the name she chose and asked if anyone had any other possible code-names. He hoped this would go well.

Jamie was the first to speak. "Well, how about just using X23?" He regretted what he said as quickly as he said it.

Laura narrowed her eyes and grimaced at the name. "No way! I never want to hear that name again. Ever." She made it perfectly clear that that name was out of the question.

"I'm sorry I upset you." Jamie felt a little scared at how angry she got.

She calmed herself as much as she could. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. You only made a suggestion. That name, well, it's just horrible and now that I don't have to use it I won't. And just hearing it makes me feel . . . I don't know, it's hard to explain how it makes me feel."

"So we're cool then, no hard feelings?" He asked nervously.

She nodded and he smiled with relief. The way he reacted actually made her flash a small, nearly unnoticeable smile. She knew she could really frighten people though, even if she didn't mean to.

Logan made sure that was truly settled, then he said, "Anything else, of no offense?"

There was silence for a moment or so, for most were a bit afraid to speak. However, Jubilee decided to speak up. "How about 'Claw'. I know it's basically the same thing, but it's a thought."

"Hm, not too bad but I don't know. It is nearly the same." Laura said. It did sound nice but so far she liked Talon better.

"Any more?" Logan asked with a strange grin. He knew most were worried they'd say something wrong.

"What do you think about 'Cougar'?" Kurt offered.

Laura really thought about that one, for several moments to be exact. "You know, Cougar sounds awesome. I just don't know if I feel it's me."

No one else had any ideas. So they all waited upon Laura to make a decision. It was kind of a hard one too make and it took some time. Though everyone waited patiently.

After a while of tossing Claw and Cougar around in her mind she came to a conclusion. Claw was pretty much the same as Talon and Cougar did sound cool, but she still didn't feel it fit. "Well, no offense or anything to either of you," she said to Jubilee and Kurt. "But I'm sticking with Talon. I think it has a nice ring."

Jubilee and Kurt both assured her that they weren't offended by any means. After all, those names were only suggestions. And her own idea did fit quite well.

"So I guess that's settled. Laura will be called Talon during training and battle." Logan paused briefly. "Alright, listen up, it's time to get things going."

There was some groaning among the students. Logan couldn't help but smile, he knew most of them hated his sessions. But he also knew they appreciated them. If it weren't for the hard training they'd be out of shape and would find it harder to use their powers properly.

Logan continued. "There will be three teams: Storm and I are the leaders for team one, Jeannie and One-eye are team two and Blue-boy is team three. Any questions?" He asked and when no one asked any he said, "Good, I didn't feel much like answerin' any. Now, Storm's and my team are: Iceman, Berzerker, Boom Boom, Shadowcat, Havoc and Gambit. Jean and Cyclops' team is: Rogue, Angel, Jubilee, Wolfsbane, Multiple and Colossus. And last but not least, Beast's team is: Spike, Magma, Talon, Nightcrawler, Sunspot and Cannonball. Now, any questions before we split off?" Again there wasn't any, only some whining because he had separated most of the ones who hung together. He knew very well he did that. He knew they trained better when they were split up that way. "I guess we are ready then. My team come over with Storm and me. The rest of ya go to your leaders."

Everyone hurried to their places. The majority weren't too unhappy with where they were placed, except for being separated from the ones they hung out with most of the time. But that didn't bother them all that much for they got along with everyone fairly well. Though as Remy made his way to Ororo's and Logan's team he felt oddly. _"Why'd he put me on his team? Sure, I know he didn't want Rogue an' me on de same team, but he coulda placed me wit' Beast."_ he thought. Then he thought, whatever because he'd do his part either way. But being on the same team with Logan was weird. And when Remy thought over it more it made no sense whatsoever. He would think that Logan would want him on a separate team. No matter, he went as everyone else had.

Once the teams were all gathered Logan spoke again. "OK, good, everybody's in place. Now, Red and Vizorboy, take your team to the other side of the room. Fur-ball, you take yours to the middle. And Storm's and my team will start right here." He stated. He got some strange looks for the nicknames but none were bad. They were used to it. And the newer ones were getting accustomed.

After everyone got into their places Logan annouced one last thing. "This session was put into teams for more than one reason. One, it puts us on different levels. Two, it will show how well we work with others. And three, I've designed this to look like an old, wrecked building. My team has to reach the roof, Jean's and Scott's team must make their way to the front and out and Beast's team has to find a secret passage on the roof and exit from the back of the building. Let's try to end this session in one piece. The only dangerous parts will be from the machines, so everyone be careful and always stay focused and alert. One more thing, don't worry about the other teams. Only pay attention to your own."

He gave a few moments for them to let the information sink in and then he looked up to where Professor X was and gave him two thumbs up, which was the signal for the program to be started. Charles nodded and started the simulation.

They all watched as the room changed into a whole different environment. It surely did appear that they were at a run-down building. Each group was in a completely different location, as Logan had hinted at. Ororo's and Logan's were in the front of the building by stairs and two big doors at the top of them, Jean's and Scott's were behind the building standing in front of a back entrance and Beast's was on the roof. Not too long after everybody started to move and look around the machines began to go off. The machines were similar to the ones they used before, some with lasers and others with sharp metal disks that were thrown out.

As Logan began to direct his team into the building he looked at Ororo. "Ro, be careful in here. We'll be here for ya but I'm just warnin' ya."

Ororo gazed at him with an expression of fear. "Logan, I can't deny that I'm uneasy about this." She didn't like the fact that the team she was on would have to go inside of a building that gave the impression that it could collapse at any moment.

"I'm sorry darlin'. But, as I said, we won't let anything happen to you. If something does we'll be there. Just be cautious."

She took in a deep breath. "Okay. I know I can do this. I've been in worse situations than this and I came out alive." She gave a weak smile.

"That's the spirit." He said back with a half-smile.

Logan gave her a quick kiss and she smiled at him. Then they had to dodged out of the way of one of the metal disks. Ororo lifted herself up and Logan moved off to the side. But as more came he popped out his claws and struck them causing them to split in half and fall to the ground. Ororo used her powers and caused wind to blow them off course and against the wall away from her teammates. When they got near Bobby he froze them, sending them to the floor quickly. Ray sent electricity towards them which took them off course and made them crash into a corner. Tabitha and Alex weren't weren't paying attention and nearly got struck. But Kitty grabbed Tabitha's arm and the disks went through them and stuck into the celling and Remy shoved Alex to the ground and the disks flew past and hit the wall on the other side of the room. Tabitha and Alex thanked their rescuers with gratitude.

"Wonderful team work Half-pint and Gumbo. Keep it up. Boom Boom and Surfer Boy, stop goofing around. This isn't a game. Ya coulda been killed." Logan commented.

Meanwhile Hank's team had made their way into the back of the building where lasers were going off like crazy. Hank did a somersault to get out of the way more than a few times already. The only problem here was that most of the team couldn't use their powers to fight the machine's lasers. They couldn't be stopped by anything but destroying the machine itself and in this session that wasn't to be done. They had to basically use their fighting skills. Although Roberto and Amara used their powers because if they'd accidentally get hit it shouldn't do much harm to them since he was like fire and she was like molten lava. This team was doing much better considering everyone was staying alert. Only once Laura had to push Kurt out of the way for he just dodged one laser and yet another came his way and he didn't notice in time. He thanked her gratefully.

On the roof Jean and Scott's team were getting both metal disks and lasers and it was outrageous. This team was a little of everything since some of their powers took benefit well: Piotr transformed his entire body into his metal form leaving him indestructible and Jubilee could use her powers to slow the disks and stop them. She could even slow the beams until that particular one shut off. Rogue could do any of this but chose to stick to her martial art skills and just move away, unless she desperately had to borrow someones power. Rahne transformed herself into her half human, half dog form, resembling a werewolf, which gave her more speed and agility. Warren took flight at times. And Jamie pretty much used his fighting skills because his powers wouldn't do much for this. The only problems that occurred here was that if not for Piotr jumping in the way Warren would have been injured by both a laser and a disk. The disk would have scraped his right side while the laser would have shot his left wing, both would have been quite painful and weakened him. And then Rogue had to get Jamie out of the way, which caused her to fall down on top of him. For some reason he froze and a laser beam almost struck him in the back. Apparently too much was happening and he couldn't keep up with it.

Hank said, "Fantastic Colossus and Rogue. But you're all doing great." Just as he finished his sentence he had to back flip out of the way of two disks. "This is tricky."

Each team was making adequate progress. Logan's team had found stairs so they could make their way to the roof, Jean's and Scott's team had gotten into the building and were nearly to the area where Logan's team was and Beast's team had found the passageway. The machines had died down some so that now most of the session was to get to their appointed destination safely. Of course there were obstacles. The steps that Logan's team ascended gave way in the middle causing them to come to a halt. Bobby used his powers to make ice so that they could continue up. He was thanked by them. Luckily no one had been where they steps gave way. A wall came crashing down near Hank's team, blocking their way to the front. Kurt could have teleported them but he thought of it as if it were a real life situation and went against it. In real life he wouldn't want to tempt teleporting to a place he didn't know. So Amara used her powers and melted a hole in the wall. Laura used her claws to help widen the hole. Those two were thanked and soon they were all through it. Jean's and Scott's team hadn't ran into anything while going down the passageway, however once they came out of it a huge metal ball rolled towards them. Everyone managed to get out of the way, one way or another.

Logan's team made it to the roof while Beast's team made it to the front and got out. The only team left was Jean's and Scott's. But they didn't have much more to go. Jubilee was the first one to see the exit. Once she had pointed it out they all moved towards it, half running. In a matter of minutes they made it, but the door was locked somehow. Piotr, still in his metal form, plowed right threw the door. Everybody thanked him and exited. Now they all had gotten to their destination. Slowly, the program began to shut down and the building disappeared.

The whole time the program was running Xavier had been watching overhead. He seemed to be happy with what he saw. Although, he knew they could have done even better.

Once all was back to normal Logan looked at everyone. "Well done, for the most part. But some of ya need to try a little harder. And some of ya need to pay attention to your surroundings." He looked at Alex and Tabitha.

"Sorry." They both said.

"Yeah, well, ya coulda been real sorry." Logan stated seriously. "This isn't real but the machines are. The dangers are as well. All in all, ya did well, but there's still room for improvement." He looked around at everyone again. "I guess this session is over."

Professor X talked to them through the intercom. "Yes, you all did well. But there was some carelessness on the behalf of a few of you, I'm not giving any names for you know who you are. The next time, be more serious and alert. That's all I had to say." He said.

They all gradually exited the Danger Room. Most were exhausted while others were just tired. It was a good session, not as harsh as they usually are but still fairly hard. Logan made it a bit easier that time since it was the first time they'd all be together. The next one would be harder. And they'd get even more harder as they went along.

* * *

Everybody had finished brunch and some of the girls (Kitty, Tabitha, Amara and Jubilee) were scattered around in the rec room trying to talk Laura into going to the mall with them. They figured it would be nice for her to get out and experience what ordinary teenage girls experience. It would be a huge step and she was disregarding the idea before they could even go any further.

"Oh, come on girlfriend. It'll be fun." Tabitha said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, and you'll be with us the whole time. We'll have your back, and you ours. If necessary." Amara stated.

Kitty added, "But let's hope nothing happens."

Jubilee didn't know what else to say to convince Laura. She only said, "You could use a little time away from this place. And isn't learning to be an ordinary teen what you're trying to do?"

Laura sat there thinking. Everything they had said was running through her head and what Jubilee said really hit her. "Well, yeah. But, I'm not sure it's my thing. The mall. Do I really look like a mall person?"

"No, but you've never seen it or anything. Your opinion could change. If not you don't have to go again." Kitty said. "If it makes you feel any better, Rogue hates the mall. Though not as much as before she could touch."

"It doesn't. Besides, what's so great about the mall anyway?" Laura replied.

Kitty gazed at her with her mouth open. "Oh my God! It's awesome. It's kinda hard to explain it. The mall is something you'll have to take my word on. Maybe it won't be your thing, maybe it will. All I know is there's a lot of clothes and most girls love clothes as much as they love the mall. Plus we all get to hang out together, usually without the guys. Don't get me wrong, they're great to chill with but sometimes we need a break from them. Know what I mean?" No one thought she'd ever stop talking.

Once Laura was sure Kitty was done she said, "No, I don't know what you mean."

"Oops, my bad. You will one day, believe me."

The other girls agreed with her. Surely the guys thought the same thing though. Girls needed time with the girls and guys needed time with the guys.

Rogue happened to be walking by the room and she heard her name before Kitty went on and on. "I heard ya say my name, Kit. Why?"

"Oh, I was just telling Laura that you're not one for the mall."

"No, I'm not. It's not so bad anymore but I still don't care for it. Too many people." Rogue said. Then she raised an eyebrow. "How come I was brought inta this conversation?" She was curious.

Jubilee looked at Rogue. "We were trying to get her to go with us. Only to check it out. We figure it would be good for her to see what most teenage girls do. And she's trying to be like one so . . . "

Rogue knew they were right. However she could totally understand why Laura didn't want to go. She didn't know what to say for a while. But despite her feelings for the mall, for Laura's sake she said, "Ya know, Laura, maybe I could go. I know ya feel more comfortable around me. Right?"

Laura looked at her. "Yeah, a little more. I feel I know you. Probably because of being Logan's clone." She thought a long minute and then said, "Alright. Fine. I'll go, but I'm not saying it will be pretty the whole time."

Rogue smiled and the other four girls cheered. They were all excited. Laura had to say something else before this carried on any further. "I do need clothes, so that's the main reason I'm deciding to go." She looked at how Kitty, Amara, Tabitha and Jubilee were dressed. "But I don't want to look too girly."

"I'm sure Rogue can help you with that." Kitty said smiling.

"Sure can." Rogue said. "I know how ya feel there, sugar."

Laura flashed a hint of a smile. "Oh, and I don't want to look too Goth either."

They all thought the same thing _"Did she actually make a joke?"_.

"Don't worry. You browse and pick what ya want then try it on. OK." Rogue said.

Laura nodded. "Good."

The girls all went to get their money and so forth. Once they were all downstairs they realized that they needed a driver. Amara and Jubilee didn't drive or have permits yet. Tabitha could drive but not legally. Kitty had her permit, but her driving was far from perfect. And Rogue only had a motorcycle license.

"So, now all we need is someone to take us." Jubilee stated.

"I can . . . " Kitty started.

Everyone, even Laura who had a slight taste of Kitty's driving by now, yelled, "NO!" at the same time.

"No offense, hon, but you're drivin' sucks." Rogue told her.

"Some best friend you are." Kitty said a little hurt.

Rogue put her arm around Kitty's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but ya do drive horribly. I've experienced it, remember?"

"Yeah, you're right." Kitty said and she couldn't help but smile.

"So who's going to take us?" Tabitha asked. She looked at Rogue.

"I can't. I don't have a regular license yet. And y'all won't fit on tha back of my bike."

Logan happened to pass by the foyer and he glanced at the six girls with an odd expression. "So whatcha girls up to?"

"Oh, we're just trying to figure out who can drive us to the mall." Amara said.

"Don't look at me." He said and then he noticed Laura. "You're goin' with them?"

"Yep. I need clothes. And they think it could help me understand more of what being a teenage girl is like. If I like it I like it and if I don't I don't."

Logan seemed a bit worried, so Rogue said, "She'll be fine. I promise. And she'll be with us tha entire time."

"Ya better stay with them." He ordered, not harshly though.

"I will. Do you think I'd want to run off by myself in a place I could seriously get lost in? Around a bunch of people I don't know?" Laura pointed out.

Logan thought about her words. "I guess not. Just be careful. All of ya. This anti-mutant crap is still poppin' up every this way and that."

They all said they'd be careful. He was hoping that nothing would happen. But being at the mall, anything could.

"Do you know where Jean is?" Kitty asked.

"I think she's in her room."

"Is she alone?"

"Probably 'cause Scott went out to take care of some things"

"Great!" Kitty dashed off and up the steps to Jean's room as quick as she could. Soon she was outside the door, which was partially open.

Jean felt Kitty's presence. "Yes Kitty."

"Man, you and Professor X can freak people out that way."

Jean grinned. "Sorry. It's sort of a habit. So what's up?"

"You mean you don't already know?" Kitty teased.

"Ha-ha. No, I don't."

"Well, some of us girls want to go to the mall . . . "

"And you want me to drive you all there?" Jean finished her sentence without even having to read her mind.

"Like, yeah. Could you?"

"I'm not really busy, so I suppose I could. How many of you are going?"

Kitty thought and said, "Six. That's too many though. Maybe Rogue can take someone on her bike?"

"Wait, Rogue's going?" Jean was shocked.

"Yeah, but only for Laura. She's going so she can have some along that she feels closer to. And, Laura is going because Tabitha, Amara, Jubilee and I talked her into it. Rogue helped some. She understands the reason." Kitty explained.

"Oh, I imagine it would help her get the feel of being like the rest of you. I used to love the mall. Not that I hate it now."

"Yeah, you used to . . . until you got old." Kitty picked.

"Girl, you wait." Jean picked back. "But for now we had better get down there."

Jean and Kitty made their way down to the foyer. The girls were talking. Laura didn't say much but she was talking more than she used to.

"So . . . only four of you will fit in my SUV. Rogue, would you do the honors of transporting one of the girls?" Said Jean.

"Yeah. Who's comin' with me?"

Kitty was going to but she told Laura she could. She knew Rogue better and it was only fair. Plus she'd have enough time with the other girls once they were all at the mall.

"Kitty, Amara, Tabitha and Jubilee, come with me." Jean said as the girls she was taking gathered near her.

"Are you going to actually hang out with us?" Amara asked.

"I don't see why not. I miss hanging with the girls at the mall. I still remember, quite clearly, all of the fun you, Rogue, Kitty, Tabitha and I had when we were the Bayville Sirens." Jean said.

Laura was at Rogue's side as the girls headed to the garage. But she looked at Jean with a strange expression when she made her statement. "The Bayville Sirens?"

"Yeah, us five girls," Rogue said while pointing at herself then to the other four girls, "got that name a long while back. We dressed up in leather-like clothes and fought crime."

"We did it without the help of any man." Tabitha added.

"Oh, we sure did." Stated Jean with a smile.

Laura had no choice but to allow a small smile form on her lips. "So, you girls did some major ass-kicking?"

They all looked at her for a moment for that was the first time they heard her say anything like that. It wasn't bad though and no one really said anything about it. They just went on filling Laura in on it. Jubilee could only say what she was already told about it.

In a matter of seconds all of the girls were where they needed to be and situated. Jean's four were seated and buckled in, along with herself, and Rogue and Laura were on her bike with helmets on. Soon Jean pulled out of the garage followed by Rogue and they were through the gates. Within minutes they were travelling on the road to the mall.

* * *

The girls had made it to the mall. Jean and Rogue parked their vehicles and they all walked into the building. Being a Saturday there was a ton of people. Most of the girls were fine with that, however Rogue still felt unnerved in crowds and Laura seemed to be nervous. Who could blame either of them; Rogue wasn't altogether comfortable with it since she spent most of her youth keeping away from people, especially once her powers kicked in, and Laura never experienced anything like this since she was never allowed to be like an ordinary kid. She's never been around nearly that many people at one time. But because of the others she was able to handle herself. Otherwise she would have tweaked out.

Rogue had hooked her arm with Laura's so they wouldn't get separated. At first Laura looked at Rogue oddly, until she realized what the gesture was for. The other girls did this too, or held each others hands. It was easy to get lost in the mall, especially on a busy day, and with all of the anti-mutant stuff going on they preferred to stay together.

Shortly they were at the first store and Kitty, Tabitha, Amara and Jubilee all hurried to start looking around. Jean stayed behind with Rogue and Laura. If Rogue and her hadn't worked things out this would have been extremely weird. However, Rogue did wonder why Jean hadn't went with the others.

"So, why aren't ya runnin' 'round this place like a chicken with it's head cut off?"

Jean laughed. "Well, I'm out of that stage. Just a little. Plus I figure you two wouldn't mind the company. If you want I could let you be."

"No, it's fine. I was just wonderin', that's all."

Jean looked at Laura who automatically gave her own reply. "I see no problem with it. Maybe I'll get to know you more."

Jean smiled. "That would be great. You've been living with us for a while now and we still barely know one another. That happens a lot at the institute though."

"Really?" Laura asked.

"Yep. It's only that some people prefer to be off to themselves so you really don't get to know them." Jean said and she gazed at Rogue for a moment.

Rogue said, "I know, I was one of those. But that was 'cause of my, ya know." She didn't want to say 'powers' for she didn't know who knew who they were and who didn't.

Laura nodded. "So, we can't say . . . " she lowered her voice to a whisper, "Powers in public?"

"We could but we choose not to. See, we try to keep it on the down-low. Unless someone knows about us already, then there's nothing we can do." Jean explained.

"That makes sense. We don't need any extra issues." Laura stated.

"Ain't that tha truth." Rogue agreed.

"Well, are we going get this over with or not?" Laura questioned. She just wanted to look around, do what she needed to do, be done and get out.

"Of course, sweetheart." Jean said smiling.

Laura still wasn't used to being called things like that, but she wasn't going to complain about it. It actually felt good. When she first arrived she kind of scoffed at it but now she was beginning to like it - a lot.

The three girls began to browse. Jean and Rogue both lent a hand here and there to help Laura. Jean tried to pick less girly things while Rogue tried for less gothic things. It was tricky but they managed to get a few outfits. And Laura even found one on her own.

Jean found one thing that Laura thought to be strange. "What is that supposed to be anyways?"

Jean laughed. Though she figured that Laura most likely hasn't seen them before. "Oh, it's a thong."

"What's that?"

"Underwear, panties, whatever you want to call them."

"_Those_ are underwear?! I might as well wear nothing underneath." Laura gawked at the thong oddly, with a raised eyebrow and her head slightly tilted.

Jean and Rogue laughed. It was funny. They sure knew what she meant for they've had a few pairs and knew how little they covered.

"You two actually wear those?" Laura asked.

"I do, once and a while. Manly for Scott." Jean said and Laura looked confused. "You'll understand one day."

Laura figured it had to deal with being in love or something along those lines. So she turned her gaze to Rogue and said, "I suppose you were them for Gambit?"

Rogue's face turned as red as Jean's hair. "Um . . . well . . . not exactly. But I do have some." Jean was laughing. "Oh, shut up." Rogue said but she ended up grinning. It was funny.

Before Laura went and tried things on they went to look at the regular underwear, like low-rise and bikini. And they even helped her with getting some bras. After that Laura, with the help of Jean and Rogue, picked out a few more things.

The most fun they had were with the bras because when Laura tried on the very first one she stepped out of the dressing room without any shirt on. Rogue's and Jean's eyes had widened and they told her to just cue them to come over and peak inside. Laura actually blushed some when she found out she wasn't supposed to come out that way. But she liked how the bras made her look. She wasn't fully developed but she had enough to flaunt, and these bras made her appear like she had more.

It seemed that most of the clothes were darker colors which Rogue found comical considering that Laura didn't want to be gothic looking. She had no pinks at all. The only things that weren't dark were a white tee-shirt and one pair of khaki colored pants. She mainly had black pants and camouflage pants.

Laura went into a dressing room and came out to show the two how the outfits looked. Jean had told her that that's usually what girls do. The first one she came out with was the white tee-shirt with black jeans. It all looked pretty good together.

"Nice." Jean complimented.

Rogue looked at it for a second longer. "Yeah, it does look really good. Though, not to be rude or perverted but make sure ya were a bra with that shirt."

At the time Laura didn't have one on. She had taken it off since some of the shirts were sleeveless and had shelf bras. Plus she had previously been trying on bras and forgot to put her own back on. Jean just noticed what Rogue was talking about and said, "Oh my, yes, do wear a bra."

Laura didn't know what they were talking about for she thought she had put it back on. "I am."

Jean looked at her. "No, you're not."

Rogue told her to go into the room and look into the mirror. She did so and peaked back out. "Thanks. I'm not making that mistake again."

Once more she embarrassed herself. But this was all new to her and the girls didn't make her feel stupid. They stuck by her and gave her tips. She was very grateful to have them helping her.

The next outfit she came out with was horrible for her. One it wasn't really her. She had decided upon picking a tank top with lace around the top of the bust area. The shirt was black and it looked cute on the hanger, but when she put it on it looked silly. And the pair of khaki pants didn't quite fit. So they told her to go a size smaller.

"I'm not doing lace ever again. Yuck!" She commented before going back into the room.

Jean and Rogue didn't blame her. It may not be her thing - ever. Rogue actually didn't mind lace. With her and Remy being together now she may be getting even more found of it. Plus it was just pretty. But it's not for every girl.

Now Laura came out with a reddish sleeveless shirt and dark blue jeans. This looked outstanding on her. There was nothing wrong with it at all. She then went to the camouflage pants and all of the other things. Everything else fit nicely. So now she had some new clothes. And the best was she could mix/match them up. Jean was the first to point that out to her.

They definitely picked out wonderful articles of clothing. Only a few things didn't quite fit; either slightly big or slightly small. And a couple didn't look right; the lace shirt and the khaki pants.

The last place they went to were where the shoes were. Laura went on her own with this. She browsed a little while and came back with two pairs; sneakers, which were mainly black but they had a silvery design on them along the sides, and combat boots. She already had a pair but they were so worn and old.

Jean and Rogue gave her a thumbs up. But Rogue couldn't help but say, "I thought ya weren't goin' Goth, sugar?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, ya sure got lots of dark stuff."

Jean looked back and forth at them. "Yeah, you did. But hey, that's cool."

Rogue said, "Now, all ya have ta do is let me help ya with make up." She joked.

Jean laughed. "Yeah, all we need is two of you, Rogue." She picked.

Rogue smacked Jean on the arm. "Very funny. I forgot ta laugh. No, maybe she should die her hair red and be like you. We definitely could use that." It was a sarcastic, yet not rude, comment.

Jean hit Rogue back. "Now it's my turn to laugh. Ha-ha."

Of course both girls did end up laughing. Neither of them could believe how well they were getting along. It was like they've been friends forever. No one, including Rogue, could believe how much she's been laughing lately. But her life had been getting better and better, how could she not be happy? Laura didn't know what to do so she just watched them and listened.

Soon they went to checkout and wait for the other girls, who were still shopping. Go figure. Jean and Rogue did tell Laura that if she happened to want to try make up that they could help out. Although, even Rogue admitted that Jean would be the best one for that. She could give Laura just the right amount so it would look natural. Of course, Rogue could do that, but she didn't like it for herself.

Laura said to Rogue, "Why _do_ you wear so much make up? No offense, if any was taken."

"I don't know. I just do tha Goth thing. I've done it most of my life. And I pretty much have been doin' my make up like this ever since I was allowed ta wear it. I guess it's who I am. Most of that came from bein' antisocial, I didn't really get out much and when I did I stayed to myself. Then I got these 'abilities' and it made me hide more. I seriously don't know why I'm still like this. I suppose it's a habit that I can't break. It's me." Rogue explained as well as she could.

Jean already knew all of this but Laura obviously didn't. "Wow. We have some in common. Neither of us were allowed to be social."

"Yeah, but if not for what was ta happen ta me I probably would have been allowed. You had no choice at all." Rogue only wondered where she would have been if she wasn't a mutant. And she ended up cringing at the thought. Even though she was curious she was a bit afraid to know. She began to love being who she's become.

Laura grimaced. "Tell me about it. Still there's some similarity. You've changed some though now that everything's under control. I just hope I can be more social."

"If you think about it, you are. You never would have even _considered_ doing this when you first arrived." Jean jumped in.

"That's true. I would have been like 'Go away!' or something like that."

Jean, Rogue and Laura saw the other girls and they were finally done. While they were checking out Jean had an idea for Rogue that just sort of popped into her head. She wasn't sure what she'd think but she went with it anyway.

"Rogue, since we were on the subject of make up, I was thinking that maybe for the prom you could do something different. Just for that special occasion."

Rogue cocked an eyebrow. "What makes it so special? I'm goin' with Kitty and Kurt. I'll be like a third wheel."

"They've already said you could dance with them."

"Yeah, wouldn't that look weird." Rogue said. "But, what's you're idea?"

"I was thinking that you could lighten up your make up. You could stay dark on the eyes but do a deep pink or light red on the lips. Or maybe just a tinted gloss." Jean waited for Rogue to completely flip or do something showing that that suggestion irritated her, but that didn't come.

Rogue stood there thinking it over. It wasn't a bad idea. And if she didn't like it she'd never have to do it again. It would only be for the prom. "That actually does sound nice."

Jean smile. "I'm sure Kitty will help you there, considering that you'll be getting ready together and everything."

"Yeah, I'm sure she can. But she had better not use a girly pink on me."

All three girls laughed. As the other four made their way over they all gave Jean, Rogue and Laura strange looks. Of course with being apart they had no idea.

"So, what's so funny?" Tabitha opened her mouth first.

"We were talking about Kitty helping Rogue with makeup for the prom." Jean answered still half-laughing.

Kitty's eyes brightened. "Really? Rogue, you're going to let me help you with makeup?"

Rogue rolled her eyes at how excited Kitty got. "Yeah, but there are limits. It's only my lips. And girl I ain't wearin' nothin' too girly - pink is out. I'll do my eye makeup and you can make suggestions for lipstick or lip gloss or whatever ya got."

Kitty still looked quite enthusiastic. "Okay, that's fine. Don't worry, I do have darker pinks. I'll let you take a look before the prom so you have an idea."

Rogue agreed. And as the girls all made their way back thought the mall the same as they did heading to the store Jean, Rogue and Laura filled the other four in on what happened on their end. Kitty, Tabitha, Amara and Jubilee did the same. Jean and Rogue knew how those girls were so it wasn't nothing new.

Now, they had all made it to the parking lot. Jean and her group got into her SUV, got seated and put on their seat belts. Rogue and Laura put on their helmets and hopped onto her bike. Within no time at all they were off and back on the road. Only this time they were heading back home to the institute.

* * *

It was much later that day. In fact it was now late evening. Jean and Scott were upstairs in her room, and for those who were upstairs too there was no mistaking at what those two were doing. Rogue and Remy were in the rec room sitting together on a chair. She was sitting between his legs and his arms were around her. They were peaceful. Ororo and Logan were out in the kitchen standing around talking. Logan wanted her to go out with him again. And he was trying to talk her into having at least one alcoholic drink.

"No." She protested.

"Why? You afraid you'll jump me in the parking lot?" He teased with his gruff voice.

She grinned. "No, I just don't drink."

He gave her an odd look. "You mean to tell me that you've never touched alcohol in you life?"

"Well, I have, I only prefer not to."

"How come? One or two drinks can't hurt ya, darlin'."

Ororo thought about it a while. He was right. "Okay, fine. One, maybe two. That'll be all though. And, under one condition."

"What would that be?" He had a feeling she was up to something.

She revealed a playful grin. "When we leave the bar we come home but don't go into the mansion right away."

Logan grinned back. "O.K. So where exactly will we be goin' then?"

"Into the wooded area. We'll still be on the premises but we'll have some privacy."

He knew where this was heading. "Ooh, gettin' a little kinky there. I like it."

She smiled. "Well, we're both tuned in with natural so why not."

"I have to say, I love this side of you." He said with another grin. He then slapped her butt playfully and squeezed it.

She smiled but said, "Logan, someone could have seen that." She may have a wild side but she still kept herself together.

"So what if they did. Like some of them aren't smackin' asses and what not."

She laughed. "True. But still . . . ."

"I know." He said. He then looked at the clock. "It's almost 10:00. We should leave now."

"Okay. Let's go." As they left the kitchen and made their way to the front door she was thinking about what she'd drink. "Logan, I don't have to have beer, do I?"

"No, 'course not. You can have whatever you want." He told as they exited the institute and headed for the garage.

"Good. I'm not too found of it."

"That's fine. I like it but you don't have to." He stated.

Now they were in the garage and before the did anything else they shared a quick kiss. Subsequently he put on his helmet and handed her the extra one. When hers was on they seated themselves on his motorcycle. Her arms were wrapped securely around his waist, which he loved; so did she. It wasn't much longer before he rode out of the garage and out through the gates. They were on their way.

The couple didn't really talk much along the way. Every so often they'd have a little converstion, nothing that big. She spent the time resting her head on his shoulder and loving how it felt being a passenger on his bike. No matter how many times they went places together that way she loved it as if it were the first. And all was the same for him. He loved having her holding onto him so tightly. It was a great feeling.

At last they were at a small bar. It was a different one from the other times. Logan hasn't been to that one for a long time and decided he'd like to check it out. If it wasn't much fun they could always leave and go where they usually went.

Logan parked his bike in the parking lot and the two got off of the bike. Before they entered the bar Ororo remembered she didn't bring any money. She knew Logan paid her way when they went out but she still felt bad having him do so. She usually had her own money, even if she didn't get to use it.

"Logan." She said.

"Yeah, Ro."

"I didn't bring any money." She had an idea to what response she'd receive yet she still made her statement.

"Oh darlin', don't worry about that. I'm the one who's takin' you out. So no matter what if I'm takin' you then I'll pay for you." He told her as he placed his arm around her waist affectionately. He then added, "But if you ever take me out, you can pay for me."

She laughed and placed her arm around him. "Okay. I knew you'd say something like that. Still, it just feels awkward having someone pay my way."

"I understand. But like I said, don't worry. I gotcha covered."

They entered the bar. It looked a bit bigger from the inside which was almost insoluble. They glanced around the place and then headed to the bar. Expectantly, Logan got a beer. Ororo had to think for a moment. She finally decided upon trying a strawberry Smirnoff. Oddly, those are beer drinks but taste nothing like it. So she liked the drink very much, even after only one sip.

Since they had there drinks they went to find a seat. They found a table towards the back that was empty so they seated themselves side-by-side. So far the place seemed to be quite nice.

"I haven't been to this place for such a long time." Logan stated.

"Really? Why did you stop coming here?" Ororo replied.

He thought for a second. "There was some trouble and I figured that if I kept comin' I'd get caught up in it. I don't need any excess trouble."

"No. None of us do." She commented.

"I'll drink to that, Ro." And he did. He nearly gulped down the rest of his beer.

"It's a good thing that alcohol has little or no effect on you." She laughed.

"Thankfully 'cause I'm just gettin' started." He quipped.

They both couldn't help but laugh. Logan may have been almost ready for a second but Ororo was still only half-way through her first. But she thought about having a second at some point.

As they sat and talked two men were watching them closely. Regardless they hadn't took notice to it just yet. They were too busy with conversation and every now and then sharing a kiss. Now they were locking lips again and the kiss was getting pretty intense. Before it got too far they pulled apart. They didn't want to start something they couldn't finish.

"Well, darlin', I'm ready for another. Wanna come with me, or do ya wanna wait here?"

"I'll wait. That way no one will take our seat."

"Yeah, true. Are ya gonna be OK though?" He asked with concern.

"Sure. You'll only be gone for a short bit." She assured him.

He nodded. Before he went for his second he asked, "Do you wanna another." He pointed at her drink.

She thought about it. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I don't have much left."

"I'll be back then." He kissed her quick on the lips and headed over to the bar.

Ororo sat there and looked around the place. She saw the two men and they were still watching the table. It looked like they were talking about her and Logan. She wasn't sure what about though. Whatever it was she turned her attention away. If they were up to no good and any problems were caused she sure as hell wasn't going to be the first to start it.

Within no time Logan returned with another beer and a Smirnoff for her. When he sat down she was finishing her first drink. He opened her second for her.

"Oh, thank you."

"You're welcome, darlin'."

He then slid the empty bottle off to the side of the table. Now he saw the men, whom were still gawking at them and talking and even pointing. He raised an eyebrow.

Ororo noticed that Logan had seen them. "Pay no attention to them. They've been staring over here since you left. Maybe even beforehand. Ignore them, honey."

"I won't strike unless they strike first. I promise." He knew very much not to initiate a fight. Maybe it was nothing anyway. Plus he wanted Ororo to have as good of a time as she could.

Logan drank some of his beer and was about to the half-way point already. Ororo had only been sipping hers, as she did before. And they talked about things at the mansion and their relationship. They completely forgot about the two men. But that would soon change for the men stepped over towards them.

Logan smelt them and he looked over and up. "Whatcha want?"

The one man looked at him. "You're a mutant!"

"Yeah, what about it?"

The other man said, "Well, we don't care much for your kind."

"Is that so, bub?" Logan had an idea where this would be going.

The first man said as he looked at Ororo, "What's a beautiful woman like you doing with a freak like this?"

Logan stood up. "Ya gotta problem with me?"

Both men stepped back some. Ororo stood up behind Logan. She didn't want him to do something stupid. And she didn't want to cause any trouble. Nevertheless, she wasn't afraid or ashamed to say what was on her mind at that very moment. She no longer felt the need to hide who she was. "As a matter of fact . . . ." She began, but Logan cut her off.

He quickly turned to her. "No, Ro. They don't need to know you're a mutant too." He whispered, for he figured they'd have enough problems already. He didn't need them to be at her as well.

She nodded and picked up her drink, finishing it off. Then she said to Logan, "Let's just get out of here before something else happens."

He didn't hear her for the second man was talking. "Yeah, we both do . . . ." He drifted off.

"Yeah, you don't belong in here, freak."

Logan was fuming now. "People like you are what pollute this world."

The first man went on. "No, it's the other way around. All of your kind should be locked away and destroyed in a slow, painful death."

Logan had heard enough and he punched him straight in the mouth causing his mouth to bleed. He may have even knocked out a couple of teeth. Ororo wasn't liking where this was going. "Logan, come on." She pleaded.

The other man glared at Logan. "You son-of-a-bitch! You'll pay for that."

Logan growled, "Really? Whatcha gonna do? Call security?"

At that moment another man came over. He heard what was going on. "Oh, it's okay. I know who those two are. That gorgeous lady is a mutant freak as well, so it's fine for them to pair off. At least they'll be keeping their diseased blood to themselves." He paused briefly then went on. "Haven't you seen them on TV. They're part of some mutant group that call themselves 'the X-Men'."

The other man said, "Now that you mention it, I do recall seeing something on the news. There's a whole bunch of freaks walking amongst us every day, pretending to be normal." He glanced at Ororo as he said that last part.

The man who recently got punched was surprised. "I can't believe I gave a nice comment to a mutant. You people make me sick." He too looked at Ororo as he said it.

Logan popped out his claws, on both hands. "Ya care to get more than a bloody mouth, punk, 'cause I'll do much more if ya don't shut that hole in your face." He threatened, but it wasn't only a threat. He would do more.

Ororo feared what would come if she didn't step in. She moved in front of him, but kept a close eye on the men. "Logan, don't. Let's leave. Please."

He gave all three of the men a venomous look. Ororo grabbed his arms. "Come on. Let's go." She insisted.

"Fine, I think we had better before I turn these pricks into a nasty pile of gore." He retracted his claws, picked up his beer and gulped the rest of his it down. "Ya better watch your backs." He threatened again. He couldn't resist it.

Ororo and Logan grabbed each others hands and headed, as quickly as possible, out of the bar. That's one place they would never return to. And Logan wouldn't ever step foot in that place, even alone. If those were the kind of people that occupied it now he'd stay clear of it.

"Thanks for pullin' me outta there, darlin'. If not for you it woulda got messy. Real messy."

"No problem. I'm glad you finally listened. Even though those kinds of people are horrible, we still must stay as calm as possible. We have to set an example to try and prove that while some mutants may be a threat others are not. We aren't. There's good and bad in all beings. I just hope that one day Charles' dream comes true and both humans and mutants can live together in peace." Ororo stated.

"I don't know how ya do it. I know you're right though. But I can't always control my temper." How she could remain so calm was beyond his comprehension. "I hope his dream comes true also. But I have my doubts 'cause of moments like that."

"You know, I had half a mind to give those creeps a taste of my own wrath. But someone had to stay focused. And I must keep my emotions in check." She said.

"Yeah, and it definitely wasn't me. I just can't stand people talkin' trash about others. Rather it's us or not." He said back.

The couple shared a peck on the lips and they put on their helmets. Once they were situated Logan pulled out of the parking lot and sped off. He wanted to get away from that bar as fast as he could. Who could blame him?

* * *

A bit later Ororo and Logan had reached the mansion and he parked his bike in the garage. Even though they were home they weren't calling it a night quite yet. Despite the incident at the bar they still wanted to have some privacy.

Logan was all for getting it on outside, even if it was still on the property. But the wooded area was the perfect place. Now that it was completely dark it was even better. They shouldn't have to worry about anyone hearing them, not that it mattered all that much. It was only natural. And they were tapped into everything natural.

The couple had just made it into the woods and Ororo lead him to the place she had picked out earlier that day. They both stopped and looked around. It was a bit creepy with how dark it was but it didn't bother them one bit. She even had a blanket laid out over the grass.

"Nice." Was all Logan could say. But he grabbed Ororo and pulled her against him. He then captured her lips with his own and kissed her with animalistic passion.

Ororo returned the move with the same force. She didn't know how it happened but he just drove her crazy. When moments like that came she could never control herself around him anymore. Although this would only be their second time together, they both knew there would be so many more.

The kiss broke and Logan said, "But what's with the blanket?"

She grinned at him, seductively. "Well, I assume we'll be in many different positions. I find it would be more comfortable when I'm on my hands and knees."

"What am I goin' to do with you, Ro?"

"This . . . ." She trailed off and crashed her lips against his.

They began to make out like crazy, madly kissing and groping each other. And they wasted no time to start pulling the clothes off. They heatedly removed them one by one until they were almost naked. All that remained was their underwear. Logan began to kiss her neck sending wonderful sensations all through her body and causing her to moan. And when he trailed his lips down her neck and to her breast she gasped. He was rough yet gentle. It was an odd but good feeling. And hard to explain. Even though he'd bite a little he never did it too hard. It seemed to push her over the edge.

After Logan played around with Ororo's upper body for a while, she took over. She decided she'd show more of her wild side and she backed him up against a tree. Then she began to kiss him hungrily. She spent little time on his lips at that moment. Instead she moved to his neck, where she kissed him, and even bit him some. He wanted her to bite harder than he did to her. But of course he could endure it. It was apparent that he enjoyed it.

Soon they were locking lips again, tongues dancing together. Their hands wandered almost endlessly over each other almost nude bodies. His hands moved down her back and to her butt. He squeezed which made her moan into his mouth. It didn't take him long to slide one hand around to the front and slip it down inside her panties. She was already breathing substantially. He gently stroked her private area. Now her hands did some more travelling of their own. She moved hers down from around his neck, over his chest and to his hips. She kept her left hand resting there while she moved her right one down and over his hardened maleness. Then she slipped her hand into his boxers and squeezed gently. He growled into her mouth, for they were still kissing.

They were both going nuts. Within barely any time at all the remaining clothing was removed in an unhinged manner. Now they were completely naked. And they didn't wait much longer to get intimate. But this time Logan had condoms. They stopped kissing so he could prepare himself. Once he put one on and all was good he hitched her left leg up and around his waist. She hooked her arms around his neck and lifted her right leg up and around the other side. His hands rested on her hips momentarily as he entered her. She moaned already, but more or less into his ear. This caused him to growl in pleasure and he began to go at her like crazy. She scratched her nails down his back.

They had sex like that for a while. But before he met his climax he slowed down and, with her still attached to him, walked over to where the blanket was. He lowered himself and started up again, with her beneath him. She was screaming and panting. He was growling and breathing heavily. And they were beginning to sweat up a storm.

The couple switched it up as Ororo straddled over Logan and moved up and down. Her hands were rested on his manly chest and his were moving back and fort from her boobs to her butt. He loved to squeeze at both places for his intensified her movements and moans. She ended up reaching her peak; her back arched, her head flipped back and she cried out in pure exhilaration. Although he allowed her to climax and he held back for one more round.

He moved out from beneath her and she got on all four, arching her back slightly which gave him a great view of her nice, firm butt. He groaned and he got onto his knees and positioned himself behind her. He placed his hand on her hips and soon he was doing her again. In this particular position they felt like two animals in heat. And they acted upon those instincts by going all out. He growled and she screamed. She stimulated herself some as they had sex.

In a matter of seconds Ororo climaxed again, letting out a final cry of great ecstasy and clutching at the blanket. This time she nearly collapsed to the ground. Logan finally had his release and he pretty much howled as the feeling swept over his body.

She actually did collapse once he moved and flopped down on the blanket beside her. They both laid there in silence for a bit until they caught their breath. They were soaked in sweat but they felt amazing. He had removed the used condom, tied the top into a knot and shoved it into his jeans pocket for the time being.

After about a minute or so Ororo said, "Oh - my - goodness. That was marvelous." She was still slightly panting.

Logan grinned. "Sure was, darlin'. And they'll be many more moments like this."

"I sure hope so. But, I also love to just, you know . . . cuddle." She replied.

He laughed at how she said it. "Oh, 'course. Well, we can do that now." He reached over and pulled her half-way on top of him.

She smiled and laid her head on his chest. "But, let's not fall asleep. Alas you want the students and other staff to see us like this in the morning."

"I have nothin' to hide." He said and then he chuckled once he saw the expression upon her face.

"I really don't want any of them to see us naked in the middle of this wood."

"Why not? You definitely have nothin' to hide." He looked down her body and brought his gaze back to her face.

She swat him on the chest and smiled. "Logan."

He laughed. "No, seriously, we'll just lay here little. Then we'll get dressed and head inside."

"My room or yours?" She questioned.

"Ya want more?" He asked.

She laughed. "No, not tonight. But I do want you to be with me."

"Well, I like your room."

"Then my room it is."

The couple laid there for a while longer. Soon they got up and put all of their clothes back on. Ororo grabbed the blanket and her and Logan walked, with his arm around her, into the mansion.

No one was awake, that they knew of. Either way they made their way upstairs and into her room. She removed most of her clothes and decide she'd sleep in her underwear and a tank top. He removed everything except for his boxers. And when they were both ready they hopped into bed and got comfortable. She snuggled up so close to him, but of course he didn't mind one bit. They shared a romantic kiss.

"Goodnight my darlin'. I love you." He didn't say it much, and never in front of anyone but her, however she knew he loved her either way.

"Goodnight. I love you too, honey."

They laid there until sleep found them. They were both quite content, and worn out, so it didn't take too long. In short time they were fast asleep wrapped up in one anothers arms.

* * *

**Translations**: (_Hopefully I got all of the new ones_)

_Je t'adore de tout mon coeur_ - I love you with all my heart

_Moi aussi. Je t'adore, cheri _- Me too. I love you, sweetheart

_Eclatant_ - Brilliant

* * *

Well, there was my new chapter and I hope y'all like it:) I know it took a while. I was just trying to get it as good as I could possibly do:) Plus for a few days I didn't have a computer. It had this nasty virus that downloads itself into the computer and acts as a file, so I couldn't get rid of it with my anti-virus program. I hate those things!!! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this:) I would like to have the next chapter finished and posted much sooner; wish me luck:) Thank you for your reviews:) And again, a special thanks to Slickboy444 for all of the help and support:D You rock:D But until the next time, take care:)


	14. Great Challenges

**Chapter Thirteen**

Sunday was an usual day at the institute; nothing really happened that was out of the ordinary. Mostly everyone more or less lounged around for the better part of they day, only doing what was necessary. It was a peaceful day.

Jean and Scott spent most of the time watching DVDs in Scott's room. They actually watched the movies, no matter how tempting other things were considering they were on his bed. But for them closeness was all they truly needed, for the most part.

Ororo and Logan had talked Laura into going to lunch with them. Logan established the idea for he figured that, since he was to be her father and Ororo was more than likely going to act as her mother, that they should do some family things. Surprisingly the event went quite well. However, they didn't really go too far. They picked a nice spot of land near the institute and had a picnic. It was extremely practical for all of them, which made it much nicer.

Rogue and Remy hung around in the rec room, until he convinced her that they shouldn't just sit around and waste the day. So he took her for a nice ride on his bike. They were out for hours. When they came back it was evening.

Kitty and Kurt spent most of the day picking at each other and such. Nothing new there. Tabitha got scolded by Hank for slipping one of her little explosives into a glass of water. She wanted to see what would happen and the result was that the whole glass blew up and water was everywhere on the table and some on the floor. The others thought it was hilarious. But of course most of them were just as crazy as her. Especially Jubilee, Ray, Samual, Alex and Evan. Those ones seemed to always get busted. Amara hung with Tabitha a lot but she didn't join with all of her craziness. Sometimes it was too over-the-top for her. Rahne and Roberto were near to being completely all goody-goody. They rarely ever got in to trouble. Jamie was good alone, but if he was with any of the daredevils or Laura he'd show off. Who wouldn't?

Professor X was away for half of the day on business. Nobody knew where he went, who he meet or what it was for. He kept his outings private. But he's always like that. Soon they'd find out what it was all about. He's thinking sooner than later because they all have a right to know about this. Their opinions would help, although they won't change his intentions. He said to himself that he'd inform them the next day before breakfast.

And that was now. Monday morning had crept up upon the mansion. Xavier thought hard about how he'd break the news on his whereabouts. It wasn't bad, however it could cause some friction. Quite frankly it would be more than likely that it would.

Before he changed his mind he gathered up everybody who resided there. "Listen up everyone. I have an announcement to make. And please hear me out before you voice your opinions. You'll have plenty of time to do so before you eat."

He paused to make sure they were all listening. Once he saw that they were he began to speak again. "Good. Well, I know all of you have been wondering about what I've been keeping so secretive, and I can't say that I blame you. Now this may come as a huge shock, but a while back I got a call from Wanda." Everyone's faces froze into shocked expressions. Some open-mouthed or wide-eyed and others both. "Yes, it took me by surprise too. She said she's tired of living with idiots, and those were her exact words. Though, she isn't saying she definitely is coming to our side she still said she's thinking about it. She's a tough person and she's quite rebellious, but we've dealt with those kinds of personalities and still are at times." The ones he was referring to ended up grinning. "Anyway, that's what I've been doing. She's been, from time to time, asking if we can meet and just go over things. Her mind is a mess and I've told her I could help. Her only worry is that if she sides with us that Magneto will be on our tales again. He's been hiding out for so long and that just may bring him back out. I told her it's her choice, not mine or anyone else's. She's her own person. And I have to say I believe that she's sincere, I would know otherwise." He paused again. "Now, if anyone would like to speak please do so."

Logan was the first. "Chuck, I don't know about this. I'm not sayin' I don't trust your judgment or anything, but it just doesn't sit well with me. 'Course, this wouldn't be the first time I felt this way." He looked at Remy. "Gumbo over there proved to be a good team member, but he isn't a sibling of one of the biggest enemies we have. I know I can't tell you how to run things, though if I were you I'd think more than twice about havin' her on our team."

As soon as Logan stopped talking then Scott began to talk. "Professor, I have to say that I'm with Logan on this one. It makes me uneasy, although, you know what you're doing I really don't think it's a good idea. We don't need to have someone like her here."

"I see where both of you are coming from, however, I can't just push her out. Wanda has no one, as far as I can see. She called me in dire need of help and I can't deny that I'm worried about her."

"But, this will definitely bring Magneto out of hiding. He'll blame you, or us, for talking her into coming here instead of seeing that she did so out of her free will." Scott stated firmly.

"Yeah, and how do we know she's going to stay true to us? She could very well come here and pretend to be one of us and stir up trouble." Logan retorted.

"Anyone else? Feel free to speak up." Xavier stated. He wanted to hear what they had to say. "I know this isn't going to be easy, but please bear with me."

"I don't see where it would be a huge problem. She isn't a bad person. She is only a confused young woman." Ororo said, despite the looks she received from Scott and Logan. They looked at her as if she were crazy. "She may need us. And we can't push her away just because her father is Magneto. What kind of people would we be if we did that" She knew from experience that not everyone was all good. Everyone had good and evil in them, what a person chose to be determined what they were.

"Good point." Jean said. "I am on edge about this, I have to be honest, but I really see no harm in giving her a chance. People change. She could be a great addition. We have to be more open-minded."

"We could use another girl, you know." Said Jubilee. "There's way more guys than girls."

Some of the girls agreed while others didn't know what to say or even think. It was huge and it would be quite weird if Wanda did join. But it could be a good thing.

Amara was one of the few who spoke up. "I have no idea what to really say. Having another girl here would be awesome. But can we trust her?"

"It sure would be nice t' see another _fille_." Remy said with a smirk.

Rogue swatted him, even though she knew he was picking. "You'd love that, wouldn't ya, swamp rat?"

He smirked more and then he became serious. "But Remy doesn't know what t' t'ink 'bout this whole situation. On one hand, she could be a great X-Man on the other she could be a back-stabber. I've dealt too much with them kinds of people."

Rogue said, "I'll just not place any real trust in tha girl until I know she's one of us. Ya know what I mean?"

"I understand completely." Xavier said. He didn't expect any of them to trust Wanda just like that. He knew she was sincere but still he wasn't going to put anything past her.

Piotr stayed quiet, as he usually did. Nonetheless he nodded when he agreed with someone and Charles picked up on his thoughts slightly. Warren finally jumped in.

"Hm, I know who she is, I just don't know much about her. So even though I trust you too I can't say much. If I knew about her more I'd be able to say more. As far as I know you've never lead us astray. If Wanda comes to us I won't be rude to her, I know what it's like to feel lost and alone, but nor will I trust her with my life or anything. Not until she proves herself."

"Well said Warren. I've known Charles for a long time and his judgment is usually accurate. " Hank retorted mainly to Warren at that moment. "He's always done what was best for us. Even if some are too stubborn to see it at the time." He said, referring to his own rejection of Professor Xavier's help years ago. Xavier gazed at Hank and smiled. Hank smiled back. Then Hank spoke his own opinion. "Even though I trust you, Professor, I have to say I do not feel the same about Wanda. It'll just take some time. As it did with others. Nonetheless, I will not be disrespectful towards her or her feelings. That would be inhuman."

Professor X nodded. This discussion was definitely getting somewhere. He only wished they had more time.

"I kind of like her. She was a great help when we were up against Apocalypse. So I don't mind. But she's not going to be like one of my best friends or anything." Kitty stated.

The only other person to speak up was Laura. "O.K., Wanda is someone I don't know that well. I won't protest this but I won't trust her easily. She'll have to prove she's entirely trustworthy." She spoke like Logan would . He had softened up partially but he was still gruff and harsh when he needed to be. Laura was distrustful. But that was a given. And she'll probably always be that way for even Logan remains distrustful. "She just had better not step out of line." She scowled.

"I understand that too. I knew no one would place trust in her right away. And you are all wise not to. I don't even trust her one-hundred percent. But I will give her a chance. I've seen how people can change and mold a new life. Many of you have done so." He stated. "But if she decides to join us no one's going to brush her off." Xavier asked.

They said they wouldn't. Some were excited, but unsure, only because it would be nice to have another member. Others were overly uneasy. They'd just have to give her a chance if she chose to join and see where things would go from that point on. Their suspicions were normal and who could blame them?

"Very well, then that will be all for now. If anyone has anything else they'd like to share you know where to find me. Feel free to come and tell me." With that he wheeled himself away from them. "Enjoy your breakfast." He had to go and get things ready for the two students he, Ororo and Hank taught. With the help of Jean and Scott at times and occasionally Logan.

* * *

At the Brotherhood house the atmostphere was about to become quite unbalanced. Wanda stayed in her bedroom most of the time, only leaving it to eat, drink, shower, use the bathroom or get out of the house. She had been behaving so differently and everyone had taken notice to it. The only ones who said nothing were Fred and Lance, they figured it wasn't any of their business. But Todd had questioned her from time to why she all of sudden was acting so oddly. She'd always say she just wanted to be left alone. So he'd do that, he'd leave her alone.

At this time Pietro was staying there again. A couple of months ago he had returned to the house and no one thought much of it. He had been with Magneto ever since the Apocalypse incident and for a while all was well between them and even Wanda. But lately things have changed. And within Pietro's stay there he had noticed a change in Wanda's habits; she'd sneak off to only God knows where to meet with only God knows who. This puzzled him and he could never get a straight answer from her. She told him it wasn't any of his damn business what she did or who she talked to, which she was right. Although Pietro wouldn't let it go. He eventually spoke to Magneto about Wanda's strange behavior and now he was following Magneto's orders to spy on her.

After following her every time she left, Pietro had finally found out what was going on by some very careful eavesdropping. Still, Professor Xavier knew he was nearby. He could sense him, but he never let on to it. He didn't want to discourage Wanda any or take his full concentration away from her. She sought him out because she needed someone to help her. Someone who wouldn't judge her for being Magneto's daughter and for being who she was in general. If he had mentioned that Pietro was nosing around then she'd have known it was due to Magneto and her main intention would have been put aside. She'd dwell upon that. Xavier knew how irritated her brother made her and how upset she was with her father. He just didn't understand how all of those harsh feelings were coming back.

Anyway, now that Pietro knows that Wanda's been secretly meeting Professor X he had informed Magneto of everything he overheard. This particular day was the day that she made up her mind that she's not staying at that house any longer. She's just had enough of it and believes that if she stays someone's going to get hurt. The only two that will make her leave hard is her brother and father.

She was in her room packing up her stuff, which she didn't have a lot so it made it fairly easy. Pietro popped his head around the corner of her doorway. "Whatcha doin'?" He asked, even though he had an idea.

"What's it to you?" She replied harshly.

He glared at her. "Look, I know what you've been up to. You've been meeting Xavier, our enemy, and you're actually talking about joining them. Are you completely insane?"

"So, they're not as bad as you'd think. He listens to me and he cares about what I say. Unlike my real family who only care about themselves." She retorted with anger rising in her voice.

"It seems as though you've made up your mind. Oh, but you won't get far." He said standing in her doorway with his arms crossed.

"Let me guess, you snitched on me."

"I wouldn't exactly call it that. I only did what I had to do." He stated.

"Yeah, what's that?" She knew but she wanted to see what he'd say.

He gave her a look of annoyance. "You know, look after you. Father . . . " She cut him off.

"I knew it! Our dear old father put you up to spying on me. You both make me sick. This is my life and I will live it the way I want. No one, not you or even he, can stop me."

"Really? I'd think twice before turning your back on him."

"Now you're trying to scare me. It won't work. I'm not a little girl anymore. He can't just lock me up in an asylum."  
Pietro's stared at her in shock. _"How does she remember that?"_ He was confused.  
_  
_Just as if she had read his mind, she said, "Yes, Pietro, I remember. Apparently that little trick father pulled by having Mastermind replace my memories wore off somehow. I know the truth again. And me leaving is his fault, and yours. Neither of you care about me. You only care about my powers and what they can do for _you_. He even stooped so low to try and make me forget. Well, I have to say it worked wonders for a while. I was so dumbfounded." She slammed her suitcase shut and fastened it. Then she picked it up and made her way towards her doorway. "Get out of my way or I'll make you move." She said with great anger and resentment.

He remained where he was. "You're making a big mistake."

"No, I'm not. My mistake was staying here for as long as I did. Now move." She was getting extremely irritated with him.

"Fine, but you won't get far." He said in kind of a mumble.

"Why? Are you going to stop me? Please. I'll hex you if you even so much as try." She threatened.

"Well, you see, I kind of told father that you were acting weird, he knows everything and he'll be here any minute. I didn't know you were planning to bail out on us today. Hey, but what a great coincident." He spoke with a smug expression that she would have loved to wipe off of his face.

She gave him a look of pure hatred. "Out of my way!" She fumed.

Pietro moved for he knew Magneto would be there soon. He figured that maybe their father could talk some sense into her. He could only hope. He'd never admit it but he truly did care about her. In fact, he loved her. He didn't want to see her go to the X-Men.

Wanda hurried down the steps. Todd, Fred and Lance were watching her and they all gave her strange looks. Pietro sped down the steps and came to a halt right beside her. She glared at him. None of the others knew anything. Out of the three only Todd looked upset upon seeing her suitcase and realizing she was leaving. Usually he didn't pry as much as Pietro did though now he wanted nothing but for her to stay.

"You decided you'd come and see me off?" She said sarcastically.

"Not exactly." Was he said.

Todd felt nervous, as he always did when confronting Wanda, however he spoke anyway. "Wanda, where are you goin'?" His question was simple. And knew she was already mad so he decided not to call her any pet names.

She was so ticked that she scowled at him. But when she saw the hurt expression she softened up some. "Look, I have to leave. I can't take it here anymore. But to answer your question, let's just say that I'm going somewhere to start a new life. The one I have now isn't cutting it for me."

"We can change. Really." Todd stated. "I'll even take showers and brush my teeth regularly."

Wanda almost smiled. "It's not you. The only real problem I have is with my brother and father. This is something I must do."

Todd looked down at the floor. "Yo, I understand. I'll miss ya, that's all." He figured there was no point in trying to keep her there when it was so clear that she was unhappy. He only wanted her to be happy.

"I'll see you around guys. I'd prefer not to see you, Pietro." Her tone hardened on the last sentence.

"Too bad. You know, as soon as you leave this place you'll miss me. We're family and we should stick together." Pietro said with his smug attitude.

Wanda rolled her eyes and headed for the door. She opened it and standing right outside was Magneto. He was apparently just about to come in.

"Wanda. Where do you think you're going?" He said firmly when he saw the suitcase in her hand.

Even though he frightened her at times she stood her ground. "Away from here, that's where."

"I don't think so. No child of mine is going to go to them. I may have made slight amends with them since the whole Apocalypse ordeal, but that doesn't mean I'm going to settle for this. You are my daughter and you belong with me." His words were said unequivocal and even cruel.

Wanda stayed still momentarily searching for words to say. Soon she said, "I do not belong with you. I'm nothing like you. Besides, if you want one of your offspring to be your little stooge, you already have that. Pietro jumps at every command you give. He doesn't have the balls to stand up to you." She paused when she saw the look on her father's face.

"You are way out of line. What gives you the right to speak to me that way?" He voice sounded brutal.

She grimaced at him, no way was he going to stop her. "So what if I am. I'm tired of being treated like shit by you and him. I tried to deal with you but I can't. I'm done with you both. Now move out of my way, _Father_!" She was losing her cool very quickly.

"You are not leaving this house, young lady, and that is final!" He was furious with her.

"And what are you going to do to stop me? I'm not a helpless little child anymore. I am capable of making my own decisions. And one of them is to get the hell out of this place. With you I have nothing, and I am nothing. You're only using me and I won't put up with it, not anymore. I'm 18, so it doesn't look like you'll be sending me to that place you threw me in when I was a little girl. So I'd appreciate it if you'd let me go. Nothing you do or say will change my mind." She spoke clearly and didn't care how anyone reacted.

Magneto thought about what she said, only because the last part confused him. Finally he said, "What do you mean? How do you . . . ?" He trailed off.

She saw the confusion in his face and heard it in his voice. "Oh, Father, yes . . . I've regained my memories. I know what it was like before you had me brainwashed. You are so inhuman." She felt her eyes sting at the thought, but she refused to cry. Even though she hated how he was part of her still loved him.

"You know that was the best thing for you."

"No, it wasn't. You never did know what was best for me, now did you?"

She was right. He had messed up badly with her, but he wouldn't admit to it entirely. "Maybe so, but it still doesn't give you any right to disobey my orders. You aren't going to Charles Xavier, you are staying here."

"Over - my - dead - body!" She yelled with an icy undertone.

Magneto scowled. "If you leave us you'll be starting a war between the X-Men and my team. Is that what you want? More fighting?"

"No, but this is the only way. And Professor X knew this would happen. He's prepared." She retorted.

"Well, had better be _highly_ prepared."

"He will be. He knows how crazy you are." She said but Magneto had had enough at that point.

He slapped her across the face, leaving her in a slight bit of shock. Pietro and the others watched with surprised expressions. "That's enough, Wanda."

Todd stepped over to Magneto and said what Pietro didn't have the guts to say. "Don't hit her!"

"If you value your life you'll back off." Magneto threatened.

"I value hers more." He said. However he knew if Magneto would hurt him, or even kill him, it more than likely wouldn't be quick so he backed down.

Before anything else was said and while Magneto wasn't looking, Wanda spun around and ran. That really got her. He may have been a horrible father to her but he had never struck her before. So much was running through her mind now.

Magneto just watched briefly. He was shaken a little from hitting her. He never wanted to resort to that, but he was extremely angry with her and she didn't make things any better.

Magneto realized what was taking place. "What are you waiting for?! Go after her!" He ordered Pietro.

Pietro didn't want to argue with that tone of voice so he went speeding. And he caught up to her and grabbed her. She struggled the whole way back to the house, knowing now that the only way to get away was to use her powers against them.

Once Pietro let her free she took in a deep breath. He and Magneto thought at first that she would go back inside and all would go the way they had wanted it to go. But they were so wrong. She glared at them both and lifted her arms so that her hands were towards them.

The only thing was that she didn't know that Mastermind was also with Magneto. He was just hiding where she couldn't see him and waiting for his cue. And that was now. Magneto had told him that if Wanda would not cooperate that he'd need his help. Magneto had also filled him in on all of the details that Pietro had given about her current behavior.

Before she could do anything Mastermind stepped up behind her. He appeared to come out of nowhere to those inside the house, though Pietro knew he'd be there. He was going to try to mess with her head again.

Mastermind began to enter Wanda's mind. As he did so everything to her became kind of blurry. Sort of topsy-turvy. She could see what was there but he was trying to alter her memories as he had done before. All kinds of stuff was running through her mind; real and fake. She was getting to the point where she was starting to get confused. _"What's happening?"_she thought as he went further into her mind. She could still see her real memories but they were getting cloudy. She began to feel kind of weak, as if she'd fall or perhaps faint. And it was beginning to even hurt a bit. Her head was spinning and aching. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment. She took a deep breath and focused, trying to summon her powers.

Luckily for her, she was still strong enough to ward him off this time before he dug too much deeper and completed the process. She turned around, raised her arms so that her hands were pointing at him and blasted him with her hex powers. His powers backfired on him and then he fell to the ground, unconscious, due to the extent of force she used upon him.

That little trick had caught Wanda off guard, however it didn't really surprise her too much. She figured that Magneto would try anything possible to stop her. But he wasn't having his way, not this time. She wasn't the weak child she used to be. Ever since her getaway from the psychiatric institution she had been stronger; physically _and_ mentally. As time passed she has become even more so.

Magneto glared at her. Even Pietro gave her a harsh look. He was highly disappointed by her behavior as well. But nothing was going to stop her from getting away. She flashed her father and brother a murderous look and quickly lifted her arms with her hands pointed towards them and hexed both Magneto and Pietro with a high dose of her powers, causing them both to stumble backwards and a fall to the ground. They were now knocked unconscious.

That was her chance to escape. She took a glance around and saw that she nearly demolished the whole front of the Brotherhood house, but she didn't care. She wasn't staying there anymore. And if anyone there had any sense what-so-ever they wouldn't either. However, she knew they'd stay. They were too weak and afraid to stand up to Magneto, or even Mystique. She wasn't.

Once again she took off. This time she kept running as fast as she could. Not even looking back.

Fred and Lance watched everything, still in shock. Todd watched Wanda until he couldn't see her anymore.

"Goodbye, Wanda." He said to himself.

Magneto and Pietro were out and quite a few minutes had passed before they came back around. They slowly stood back up only to see that Wanda was totally out of sight. Mastermind was still out of it.

Magneto snarled. "Go find her, Pietro! Now!"

"Father, I could be searching forever. I have the slightest clue which way she went."

Magneto sighed, "Did any of you fools see which way she went?"

Lance said, "No. Sorry."

"She went over that way." Fred said, pointing to the direction he was referring to.

Todd said nothing what-so-ever.

"That doesn't help. No matter, we know where she's heading." He was infuriated. "This isn't over, not by a long shot." He added.

* * *

Wanda didn't stop running until she was far away from the Brotherhood house. She kept glancing back thinking that someone was following her. To her surprise no one was. But she knew that Magneto wasn't going to stay away. He'd interfere with her new life and the X-Men as much as possible. He'd try anything to bring her back, but she wasn't going to give in. She didn't belong with him and she knew it. She's known it for quite some time but she didn't know what to do. Her only bet was to leave the Brotherhood and join the X-Men. Otherwise she'd never be anything.

She eventually slowed down to a power walk, but she kept walking and walking. She didn't remember the institute being that far away. But after what seemed like forever she saw it in the distance. She ran again and it got closer and closer. Soon she was right outside of the huge metal gates. Just as she stopped the gates opened. She was confused, however she walked inside. They closed behind her, startling her some. Evidently Charles knew of her arrival . . . somehow. But she didn't doubt anything when it came to that man.

Wanda made her way up the pathway towards the front of the building. She felt so nervous that she thought she would throw up. Her heart was pounding and she even felt weak. Of course she was a little weak for she had ran and her head hurt from Mastermind's attempt to brainwash her again. As she stood there gazing at the steps and front door she knew that this was a challenge for her and she didn't know how they would take to her being there. Although she knew some would be against it, perhaps most would. To a point she didn't care, but she wanted more than anything to feel wanted and to feel like she belonged. But who wouldn't?

She stepped up to the doors and paused. She just froze in place as if her body wouldn't allow her to move. She had never felt that oddly. Shortly she snapped out of it and rang the door bell. She knew that somebody had known she was there. Why else would the gates open all of a sudden when no one was leaving through them or coming back inside through them?

In a matter of seconds the doors opened. Ororo stood there and left Wanda in. Luckily at this time most of the students had gone to school. Jamie and Laura were with Hank, so she'd only have to be around Ororo, Logan, Jean, Scott, Charles, Warren, Piotr and Remy for the time being. The Professor had those who were free to gather and have a little discussion. The others would get their chance to say what they wanted later that afternoon, if they chose to. And surely most would.

Ororo led Wanda into the rec room where the others waited. She treated Wanda kindly, but she was always like that. When they entered the room Wanda felt like turning around and hiding somewhere. Some of the looks she received weren't exactly kind or happy. Ororo and Xavier were the most friendly of them all. Jean didn't look at her unkindly, though she gave a look that said that she didn't trust her. Logan and Scott had the hardest expressions while Remy only paid a slight bit of attention to her. He mostly sat there and shuffled through his cards and played around with them. Warren eyed her suspiciously and there was a trace of bitterness. Warren knew how Magneto was so he'd be careful with her. Little does he know how extremely different the two are. Piotr appeared to have a more promising expression. Still, the only two Wanda felt thoroughly comfortable around was Charles and Ororo.

Ororo motioned for Wanda to take a seat. "You may sit anywhere you'd like, honey."

"Thanks." Wanda glanced around and went for a space nearest the Professor.

Jean and Scott sat right beside one another on the couch. Logan stood against a wall by Xavier. Remy sat in a chair, sideways with his legs dangled over the one arm. Ororo seated herself on a chair beside Professor X. Warren sat on the opposite side of the couch were Jean and Scott sat. And Piotr chose to stand behind the couch.  
There was silence for a while, but Charles broke through it. "Wanda, I see you've made up your mind."

She swallowed hard. "Y-yes. It wasn't easy but I can't live there anymore. And my father doesn't make matters any better. Just to warn you, he threatened to start a war between you and his side. I'm sorry." She did feel bad that she's causing such a mess.

"Oh, don't be. You have a right to lead your own life. Magneto would have started something regardless. That's how he is, you should know this just as well as I do, or any of my X-Men for that matter. This only gave him an excuse to do so sooner." Professor Xavier said. "So don't be sorry. It's not your fault."

Scott couldn't help but throw in a slur remark. "Well, while all that's true, Professor, we would have been better off if she hadn't come here."

Jean turned and gave Scott a grim look. He looked at her and shrugged. "It's how I feel, Jean."

Wanda wasn't surprised. She knew there would be friction for it was only normal. She didn't get upset about the comment because he may have been right.

"Yes, Scott, but Magneto was just waiting for a reason to come at us again. We can't blame this all on her." Jean stated. "I'm not saying I'm okay with this just yet, I'm just saying we can't place all of the blame on to her if he attacks us."

"_If_ he attacks us." Logan said. "It's more like _when_ he attacks us. He definitely will now."

Ororo glanced back at him. He was right but she didn't like how he put it. "Logan, even though you make a good point, could you have said it more kindly?"

"No. Why should I? I'm not _that_ friendly. I don't even know if we can trust her yet." He was harsh.

Remy stopped fiddling with his cards to say, "This doesn't happen too often but I have t' say I'm wit' Logan on this one. And even Scott. Although, I'm not goin' t' be as mean t' such a pretty _fille_. She very well may turn out O.K. Look at _moi_. Remy didn't do so bad now, _non_?"

Logan and Scott couldn't argue with that. They both hated the fact that Remy joined, but within the time he's been there they've come to like him. And even trust him partly. They're still not best pals but they get along better. As long as Remy doesn't hurt Rogue then Logan won't hurt him.

After a silent period Warren thought he'd say something directly to her. "Wanda, I apologize if I seem to be a total snob or jerk to you. Your father isn't really one of my best friends either. He ruined my cover a couple of years ago by causing me to knock a little girl into the freezing river from the side of the bridge. I was blamed for it, but it was he who did it. He used cables from the bridge to tangle my feet and I spread my wings trying to break free, bumping her, and she went falling. Of course I saved her, but that didn't matter anymore. He pointed out that I wasn't a _real_ _angel_ and that I was merely a mutant. I've greatly disliked him ever since. So, you have to prove you're not like him." That was all he said.

Wanda nodded but she glowered when she went over his words in her head. That definitely sounded like Magneto. He'd do anything to try and prove his side to be the right side. No matter how many he hurt or took down.

Piotr, as usual, stayed silent. Sometimes they forgot that he could talk. He just wasn't a very talkative man. He never was. Plus he had no idea what to even say.

Xavier said, "You all make very good points. Wanda, you haven't said a word. How do you feel right now? Especially after what Warren had told you?"

She didn't know what to say. She searched her mind for something and finally said, "To be truthful, I don't know how I feel. I'm glad to be away from there but being here is going to be a challenge. But at least I'm safe and I can be who I want to be. I don't have to feel like a puppet." She stopped briefly. "And I can't blame any of you for not trusting me or even hating me. My father's a terrible person. Warren, I'm sorry about how my father was with you."

Warren nodded but didn't say any more.

Logan broke in. "We don't _hate_ you. We only don't trust you and it will take a long time for us to do so, some more than others."

"How could you not hate me?"

"Wanda, that's not what we're about. We may hate how people are but we never hate a person in general. If we did we'd be just like our foes." Scott stated.

That made her feel a little more at ease. Charles and Jean could both sense her thoughts and they noticed a difference when she found that no one actually hated her.

"Yes, and since you want to become one of us you'll have to learn to put hate aside. Cancel it out. I know it will be hard but it's not impossible." the Professor said. "At this moment, would any of you like to say anything else?" No one knew what else to say at that time. Xavier waited momentarily in case someone thought of something. When no one spoke he said, "Okay then, Jean, since Ororo's going to be teaching soon would you show Wanda to a room?"

"Sure." Jean said. "Where will I be taking her?"

Just then Hank came in to the room. His lessons were over. He had Laura and Jamie in the Danger Room for some activities. They were still with him now and they saw that Wanda was there.

"What were you all talking about?" Asked Hank curiously. He knew it dealt with Wanda. That was a no-brainer.

"We were just talking, nothing major. But if you'd like to say something go right ahead." Xavier said.

"No, I'm good. I just hope we make her stay pleasant." He said smiling at Wanda and then looking particularly at Scott and Logan. He himself knew it would be hard for all of them, but they'd get through it with time.

Professor Xavier turned back to Jean. "Well, to answer your question Jean. I'll probably have to put her with the other girls because we currently do not have an extra room. I have to add on soon."

Laura gave a slight grin, but nobody took notice. "Professor, perhaps she could stay with me. I have my own room, so there will be plenty of space for her. Plus, I can keep an eye on her."

He thought about it and it was a good idea. It would definitely make the others feel better. "Very well. Jean show Wanda where Laura's room is."

Everyone got up and slowly made their way to where they had to be. Warren and Piotr said nothing to Wanda as they left. Remy winked as he walked by, he couldn't resist and it was only clean fun.

Scott said, "I'll be watching you. I hope you can authenticate that you can be trusted." And he walked past her.

Logan only lifted his right hand, pointed to his eyes with his index finger and middle finger and pointed to her with only his index finger. It was clear that he meant "I'm keeping my eyes on you". Practically the same thing Scott said only Logan used body language.

Ororo smiled at Wanda. "I hope you enjoy being here. Just bear with us. Once we know you are trustworthy things will be much more easier for you and all of us." She patted Wanda on the shoulder and left the room.

Jamie and Laura followed Ororo out. Jamie glanced to Wanda and tilted his head, as if studying her slightly, but he just moved on. Laura gave Wanda the same looks that Logan did, however she said nothing either. Her expression said enough.

Jean came up to her. "Follow me." Was all she said, mainly for lack of what else to say.

Hank looked at her curiously as she followed Jean out of the room. He was uncertain of what to think about all of this. _"She will be a great addition to the team, once and if she can be trusted"_, he thought.

"Jean, things are only going to get worse, aren't they?" Wanda couldn't help but ask. Especially when they exited the rec room to find that Scott and Logan were hanging around the corner. They weren't kidding when they said they were watching her.

"I really can't say. Some of us, as you saw, will be very critical to you while others will be less. But when you prove yourself all will be well. For the most part. I know that coming here was the best thing for you to do though. You made a good choice." Jean told her as they walked up the stairs.

Scott and Logan spoke amongst themselves. They wanted to follow Jean upstairs with Wanda, but they surely couldn't both do it. So Scott gave in and told Logan to do so. He smirked as Scott walked off.

After walking a little more Jean and Wanda were at Laura's door. "Well, here you go. Make yourself at home. And if you need me I'll be here until around noon. Of course you could always see Professor X or even Ororo. You seem to be most comfortable around them. I have to say I don't blame you." Jean joked. But it was true.

"Okay, thanks." Wanda said trying to smile.

Jean slowly left, glancing back every so often. And she wasn't watching where she was going and she bumped right in to Logan.

"Watch where you're goin', Red." He said in his deep, gruff voice.

"Sorry. I was seeing if she was staying in the room. I like her but I'm wary of her." She explained.

"Can't say I blame ya. But I got that covered."

Jean cocked an eyebrow. "How? Are you going to stand outside of the room and spy. Or are you going to sneak in and hide in the closet."

He grinned. "Actually, I was goin' to just stay up here for a bit to see what she'd do. Listen to see if she makes any phone calls or whichever. But your ideas are better. Particularly the second one."

"You are despicable." She said laughing.

"Hey, you're the one who came up with the idea." He reminded her.

Jean smiled. "I know. Well, good luck in whatever you choose to do. I have some things to do."

Logan gave her a dirty grin. "Is Scott on that 'to do' list?"

"Logan!" She exclaimed. "No. Not today at least." She decided she'd pick back.

He smirked again. "O.K. Well I better let ya go. I have some business of my own."

The two parted, Jean went downstairs and Logan remained upstairs to keep watch on Wanda. He was no way leaving her alone. He had very little trust for her. To be honest he had not one ounce of it.

Wanda had went into the room as Jean left just moments ago. There was another bed in there, for most of the dorms had two beds in case there was new recruits. She laid her suitcase down on the spare one, which would now be hers, and after looking around a bit she sighed and flopped down on the bed. She laid back and stretched out. Soon she ended up falling asleep. That was something she lacked while living at the Brotherhood house. She was exhausted from everything from the past weeks, including that day, so it came easy. She never even took notice that Logan had peeked in to the room and then walked down the hall past the doorway.

* * *

Time had passed by and it was nearly lunch time. Jean had left for school. Scott had no idea what he'd do until she came back home, so he had some lunch and went up to his room for the time being. Logan decided to challenge Remy to a motorcycle race. Of course, Remy was all for it. So they went outside. Piotr and Warren went to watch for they were sure it would be quite amusing to see. Professor Xavier and Hank had went down to the lab. Hank had been working on something that may be of great use to Scott, if it worked as planned. So they've been going over the details. Ororo had finished up with Laura's tutoring and went to the kitchen to make something for herself, Laura, Jamie and whoever else who'd be interested in eating at that moment.

In the kitchen Ororo was almost finished with making lunch. Laura and Jamie acted as if they were starving. She couldn't help but laugh to herself. Those two were always silly together. Even Laura would end up smiling or sometimes letting out a small laugh. It was nice that she found someone she could hang with. And it gave Jamie someone he could hang with as well. So they both won.

Once lunch was done Ororo told them they could get what they wanted, however she told them to save some. She would eat shortly but first she wanted to go upstairs and check on Wanda. Logan had spent most of the morning keeping a close watch on her. To his surprise she didn't give any reasons for suspicion. Either way, he still didn't trust her.

Ororo left the kitchen and headed towards the stairs. It didn't take her long to walk up and make her way to the room. Once there she poked her head inside. Wanda was lying on the bed still but she appeared to be awake.

"Wanda, are you hungry?"

Wanda glanced up at her. "No, I'm fine. But thanks. Besides nobody wants me here anyway. I already feel like an intruder."

Ororo came into the room and walked over towards Wanda's bed. "Honey, it's just a big change. It's not that we _don't_ want you here."

Wanda sat up and stared at Ororo. "Oh come on, mostly everybody here would rather me leave."

"Perhaps a lot of the students and some teachers, mainly Logan, would want that. But _I_ don't. Neither does Professor Xavier. I'm sure there are others who would not want that either. And you're _not_ intruding. We only have to get used to the fact that you're becoming one of us. No pressure."

"I feel absolutely none." Wanda said sarcastically.

Ororo smiled, she was used to sarcasm. "I understand how you feel."

"No offense, but no you don't."

"Well maybe not to the full extent but I do to a point." Ororo stated.

Wanda looked at the floor for a moment and then back to Ororo. "I am sorry for being such a bitch, pardon me for that. This is just so hard. I don't think I'll _ever _fit in here."

"Sweetheart, give it time. Many never thought that Remy would but he did. And there were others that didn't think they'd fit in and they did as well. This is only your first day, after a few months things will get better. Believe me." Ororo explained.

"Hopefully you're right."

Ororo decided to go back to the reason she came upstairs. "But are you sure you're not hungry, because I made lunch and you are more than welcome to come down and join us."

"Us? Who's all down there?"

"Oh, just Laura, Jamie and me." Ororo stated. She noticed that Wanda made a strange face when she said Laura's name. She laughed and said, "I'll be there the whole time. But still you'll have to get used to Laura since you'll be staying here. And you are sharing a room with her."

Wanda sighed. She knew Ororo probably wouldn't give up until she went downstairs and got something to eat. She was happy to know that Scott and/or Logan weren't in the kitchen. Not to mention she was pretty hungry since she hadn't eaten all day. "Okay. Maybe I'm a little hungry."

"I thought so." As soon as Wanda got up and came towards the doorway Ororo turned and walked towards the stairs. She kept cautious however, for even though she was more kindly it didn't mean she trusted her.

Wanda did nothing but follow behind her. She knew everyone would be nervous or extremely careful when around her. It was a given.

As they walked Ororo looked back. "You know, you could walk beside me."

"Are you sure?" Wanda said.

"Yes. I don't bite. Now I'd keep a close watch on Logan, Laura and maybe even Rahne." Ororo joked.

Wanda smiled and moved up so that they were walking beside one another. It felt awkward. But what at that time in her life didn't? This was all new territory for her.

Once they were in the kitchen Ororo looked at Wanda and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Go ahead and get whatever you want." She showed Wanda where the dishes were and so forth. "I'll be right over there." She added and she pointed at the table.

Wanda said, "Alright." She then glanced over and saw Jamie and Laura. Jamie looked at her briefly but then went back to eating. Though Laura seemed to be staring at her. It kind of freaked Wanda out. But she went and got a bowl and spoon. She figured she'd get the food first.

After Wanda got the amount she wanted to eat she went to get a glass. When she opened the fridge she was amazed to see it was pretty full. She was used to seeing nearly everything gone. Fred could eat all of the food they had at the Brotherhood house in one day.

She soon settled on some iced tea and went to the table. She wasn't sure where to sit just yet, but she chose to sit by Ororo. Nevertheless, she was across from Laura. The four ate quietly for the most part. Jamie and Laura were about finished so Wanda was sort of hoping they'd be leaving the table any moment. She didn't mind Jamie but Laura was too much like Logan and it creeped her out to be that close.

When Laura and Jamie finished they got up and took their dirty dishes to the sink. They each rinsed off their own and placed them neatly into the sink to be washed. Fortunately for Wanda they were leaving the kitchen. But as they left Laura gave her a strange look.

Ororo had taken notice. "Laura, please be nice."

"Ororo, I am being as nice as I can. I just don't know about her yet." Laura said being honest.

Wanda finally decided she should speak up. "Laura, look. I know you don't trust me and I can't say that I blame you. But could you stop looking at me like that. It's freaky. And I do have to share a room with you."

"Sorry, but it's just how I am, Wanda. Get used to it." She sounded rude even though she wasn't really trying to be. She added, "Oh, but don't worry, I won't kill you when you're sleeping. I prefer my prey to be awake when I attack." She grinned.

Wanda didn't know what to take from that. Surely she was joking. She had to be.

Ororo scolded her. "Laura, that's enough." She didn't like what she had just said.

Laura gave Ororo a look that said "Sorry" and she left the room with Jamie. Ororo shook her head. "I'm sure she was messing around with you." She said to Wanda.

"I surely hope so." Wanda said back.

They went back to eating. And they even talked some afterwards. Only about how different life at the mansion was going to be for Wanda and things along those lines. Ororo even told her that if she ever needed someone to talk to that she could always come to her, for anything.

After they ended their conversation Wanda went back upstairs. She just sat on her bed thinking. Being there was a huge step but she wasn't turning back. She had nowhere else to go. And she was certain she'd be treated differently as the time passed on. The only thing she was somewhat worried about now was what the other students would say when they came home. Of course Laura still creeped her out some, but she only hoped that their relationship would change over time too. And maybe they'd become more like sisters or something. After-all, they were sharing a room.

* * *

The school day was closing at Bayville High and the halls were filled with students who couldn't wait to get home. Among them were those from the institute. Most of them had went to their lockers and headed out of the building. Kitty, Kurt and Rogue used to walk together but now they just walk until they get outside. They were about to leave the building when Kurt remembered he had to stay behind for a bit.

"Darn!" He exclaimed as they were about to exit the building.

Kitty and Rogue both looked at him and said, "What." They had no idea what that was about.

"Oh, I just remembered that I have to stay after school today."

"Why? Did you get detention?" Kitty asked with shock.

"Hello, this is Kurt we're talkin' about. Maybe he volunteered to help with something." Rogue suggested.

"Actually you're both wrong. My history teacher wants me to stay after. It's about my test. I totally flunked it."

Rogue glanced at him. "I thought ya were gettin' A's and B's in that class?"

"Usually I am but for some reason I did horribly on this test."

"Well, if you need any help you can always come to me." Kitty said.

"Yeah, it's just that I'm usually giving the help on this." Kurt said back.

"He's right. I would have never gotten my grades up if not for him." Rogue said. "We could still help ya though, Kurt. Everyone needs help every now and again."

"True. I'll definitely take you both up on that offer, but for now I had better get going." Kurt said.

Kitty asked, "Would you like us to wait for you?"

He had to think a bit. "Sure. If Remy comes to meet you, Rogue, then take Kitty home with you. I don't want her to have to wait by herself."

"Okay. What if he doesn't show up?" Asked Kitty.

"I don't know, just wait I guess. It shouldn't take that long to see my teacher. At least I hope not." He then turned and headed off to his destination.

Kitty and Rogue went outside to wait. There were still students outside but not too many. Lucky for them because they didn't feel like dealing with a bunch of morons. The two friends went to a bench and sat down and talked.

Inside the school Kurt made it to the classroom to meet his teacher. When he arrived to the room his teacher was seated behind his desk working on some papers. Kurt walked in.

"Mr. Lee, sorry I'm late. It almost slipped my mind. I'm not used to staying after school."

Mr. Lee looked up from his work. "That's fine, Kurt. I had work to do, as you can see." He said and then he added, "You may take a seat here in front of me so we can discuss your test."

Kurt walked further into the room and seated himself. "I don't know why I failed that test. I studied like crazy."

"Sometimes things like that happen. But I wanted to see you about it because it's one of the big tests of the marking period which affects your overall grade point average. Failing this is nearly as bad as failing your benchmark." Mr. Lee explained.

"Man. Am I going to pass?"

"Considering how well you've done on past tests and such you should. If you do poorly on the benchmark next week then you may _just_ pass from this marking period."

Kurt sighed. "Is there any way I can make up for that test? I'd really like to do better."

"Yes. If you'd like I could give you some extra credit assignments. Now they won't be worth as many points but they'll at least bring you to a high C or a low B, depending on how well you do on them. And that depends on your benchmark grade."

"Sure. I can do that. When will you be giving them to me?" Kurt asked.

"I'll get them ready tomorrow morning when I come in and I'll give them to you during class. Unless you just want to stop by after school tomorrow and pick them up. Either way it doesn't matter." Mr. Lee told him.

"I could get them in class. It would be easier for me."

"Okay." Mr. Lee said. Then he thought of something. "But, if you'd like a head start you can do a small essay. If you want go on back and look through the books and pick any topic you want. This won't be anything huge but at least a page. Typed if possible."

"That's good for me." Kurt got up and went towards the back of the room.

Mr. Lee stood up. "I'll be back. I have to go out to my car. I remembered I left some papers there that I need to look over. If you find something before I return get a small piece of paper, write the title down and place the paper on my desk. Then you may leave."

"Thank you." Kurt said.

"You're welcome."

Kurt's teacher left the room as he scanned through the books. At first he thought nothing would catch his interest, but then he saw a book on ancient Egypt. That was always pretty fascinating stuff to read about so he picked up the book and headed towards the front of the room. He did as he was told, he wrote down the information from the book and even placed his name on the paper. Then he laid it on Mr. Lee's desk and headed for the door.

As Kurt was about to exit the room Mr. Lee appeared in the doorway, almost startling him. "Sorry, Kurt. I forgot something. May I have a private word with you?"

Kurt looked at him strangely, however he said, "I suppose so."

They went into the room and Mr. Lee shut the door. The door had a blind on it so that when class was in progress no one in the halls could peak into the room and disturb the class. So nobody would see in there now either.

"You may seat yourself again."

"No, that's fine. I can stand this time. I was about to leave anyway." Kurt said. "So what is it you need to speak to me privately about? Is it something regarding my test?"

Mr. Lee stood in front of him. "Not really." His teacher's form changed.

Kurt's eyes widened. "Mother?!"

"Shh . . . yes."

"Was that you before?" He asked puzzled.

"No, that _was_ your teacher. I've been disguising myself as teachers and other staff members for a while. I wanted to talk to you . . . alone. But it's got to be kind of quick for your real teacher will be back soon. And I know that Rogue and Kitty are outside waiting for you."

Kurt thought about what she said and then he said, "Have you been spying on me?"

She nodded. "And Rogue." He gave her a look of disapproval. She acted fast by saying, "It was the only way I could know what's going on with you two."

"Why don't you just talk to me?"

She looked at him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Kurt, this was the best way I could get to you. Rogue is hard-headed and I doubt she'll ever come around, but I gave her my phone number and told her to call me. Or to have you call. Anything. Neither of you have contacted me so I figured that she didn't deliver the message to you. Son, I would like for us to get together, for lunch or something. I'd like to get to know you. I know you'd love that."

He couldn't tell if she was up to something or not. "She did say something but . . . "

"But what? You didn't want to see me?" She said.

"It's not that. I'd like for her to come too. I'd prefer it to be like we're a family." Kurt said with some emotion.

"Well, she doesn't. So if you want you can call me." She wrote her number down for him. "Call me at any time, day or night. It's my cell phone number."

He gave good thought to what she had said as she wrote down her number. When she handed it to him he asked, "But how do I know you're being true? How do I know this isn't just another one of your schemes?"

She stared into his eyes. "Excuse me? Apparently you've been hanging around Rogue a tad too much."

"Yeah, I hang around her. But that's not why I question your intentions. You haven't exactly been the best mother." He said staring back.

"Kurt, not you too. Listen, I _know_ I haven't been and I _don't_ expect any 'Greatest Mother in the World' awards either. I'd only like to make amends with you _and_ her. Would you please trust me here?"

"That's kind of hard considering your last stunt." Kurt said with a hint of anger and hurt mingled together in his voice.

She looked away briefly. She had to. When she looked back she said, "That wasn't _all_ my fault. Things may have worked out differently if not for the whole Apocalypse thing. I really didn't have a mind of my own. I'm not trying to make up excuses for my past behavior, I'm only saying that the last time wasn't me. Not entirely. Even Rogue was used momentarily. And Magneto, Xavier and Storm were also made Apocalypse's Horsemen. You do know this, right?"

"Of course I do, Mother. I had witnessed a good bit of it, either in person or in some form."

Before he could say any more she spoke again. "And, do you believe I'd be _that_ horrible?"

He turned his eyes away from hers and then he looked back. "You have been quite bad. The only credit I can give you is that Rogue and I aren't dead. You did make sure I was safe and you gave her a nice home. Everything else is questionable. I still recall when you wrote me a note telling me to meet you. I did and the Brotherhood attacked me, and the X-Men when they came to help."

"That wasn't my doing, Kurt. I honestly wanted to see you. Magneto was behind that. He had Pietro spy and he found out about my wanting to meet with you and he told Magneto. It was set up by Magneto and his sneaky son, not me. I was just as surprised as you were to see those imbeciles." She appeared to be truthful.

Kurt sighed. "I still don't know."

"What else can I say? Would you please give me a chance to prove I'm being true? I would never dream of hurting you." She brushed the back of her hand against his face affectionately.

"Mother, this is so hard." He said and he gazed into her eyes searching them for any traces of mendaciousness. To his surprise he couldn't find any. However, he did glimpse what may have been tears forming. He wasn't positive. "Okay, fine, I'll meet you. But if you try _anything_ I won't ever forgive you."

His words sounded somewhat harsh. She understood where he was coming from though. "That's all I ask. And if you would like to tell Rogue then fine. But I know she won't join us. She's complicated. I can't say that I blame her, but still." She didn't say anything too mean because she was trying to reel him in, but she had no desires to harm him, or even Rogue.

"Yeah, I think I will tell her. You know, only in-case she changed her mind and would like to come with me." He was nervous about seeing Mystique on his own. He cared about her, obviously, but given his past and her doings he was still suspicious.

"Good. I must go now. Please, call me. Even if you don't want to meet me I'd like to hear from you."

"Sure. See you around."

"Promise me you'll at least call."

Kurt smiled a little. "I promise, Mother." He wanted, in a way, to hug her before she left but he talked himself out of it.

"I'll be looking forward to hearing from you, Kurt." She wanted to say _"I love you"_ but that just wasn't her. She really wanted to feel like she had a family. She even wanted Rogue to agree on meeting, but that most likely wasn't going to happen. She wasn't going soft, she just wanted to get closer to her children. And as she turned to leave a single tear rolled down her cheek, unnoticed.

Mystique left Kurt alone in the classroom. He was there for a while. Everything she had said kept running through his mind like he was replaying it over and over again. He didn't know what to do: part of him wanted to meet her and do something, while another part felt it was all a setup. He surely would tell Rogue and he'll feel better if she would go along with it. But either way, he would call Mystique. He did promise and he didn't want to go back on his word.

Mr. Lee had came back as Kurt was standing there. "Kurt? I thought you'd be gone by now."

"Yeah, well, I found a book and wrote down the title but I was looking through the pages and I guess I lost track of time."

"Are you're friends waiting for you?"

"Yes, why?" Kurt asked.

"Because I think they are about to leave. You'd better hurry if you want to catch them. A young man on a motorcycle showed up and joined them. But it looked like they were still waiting."

"Okay, thanks." Kurt headed for the door quickly.

"No problem. Have a great evening."

"You too, Mr. Lee."

Kurt was off. He made sure no one was watching and he teleported outside of the school. He really didn't want to miss them. Fortunately for him they weren't gone just yet. Though they were close to leaving.

"Damn Kurt. Took ya long enough." Rogue said as he made his way towards them.

"My apologies. Something held me up. I'll tell you when we get home, okay."

"Yeah, sure." Rogue said and she looked at him oddly.

Kurt looked at Rogue and said in a whisper, "It's about our mother."

"Now what?!" She exclaimed.

Kitty and Remy gave her a strange look. Kurt gave her a look and said softly, "After I tell you then you can fill them in. Right now I want to get home."

"Alright. How about you ride with me and Kitty rides with Remy?" She suggested so they didn't have to walk.

Remy smirked. "Ooh, Remy gets t' have Kitty."

"Ya pervert." Rogue said and she swatted him on the arm.

He laughed. "Y' know what I meant."

"Maybe, but I just wanted ta hit ya, swamp rat."

"River rat."

"Come on you two. You have most of the evening to tease each other." Kitty said with a smile.

After that Kitty and Remy got on his bike and Kurt and Rogue got onto hers. It didn't take long for them to get moving. Soon they'd be home.

* * *

As Rogue, Remy, Kitty and Kurt came up to the front of the mansion they ran into Amara, Tabitha, Jubilee and Bobby. They were sitting on the steps and it seemed as if they had been waiting on them or something.

Tabitha said, "What took you all so long? We've been home for a little over an hour?"

"I held them up." Kurt said. "I needed to speak to my history teacher." He added.

"Well, you better hurry up and get inside, we've all been waiting on you." Said Amara.

Bobby stood up and said, "Especially you three." He pointed to Kitty, Kurt and Rogue.

"Why us?" Asked Kitty.

Jubilee took the chance to jump in. "Wanda's here. She arrived this morning shortly after we all went to school."

"So, why is everyone waitin' on us b'cause of her?" Rogue asked.

"The Professor wants to hear our opinions on her joining us. And he didn't want to continue without you three." Amara stated.

"_Oui_, he did say this mornin' that he'd like t' hear everybody else's opinions on it. He called most of us to the rec room." Remy remembered.

Rogue shook her head. "I don't even know what ta think about her."

"Let's get inside." Said Kurt. "We don't want to keep them waiting any longer."

"What's the hurry?" Asked Kitty.

"I just want to get this over with." He answered.

Jubilee got up. "Me too."

"Don't we all." Bobby said.

Amara and Tabitha stood up and all of them entered the institute. It was very awkward when they reached the rec room because all of the residents were gathered in there, waiting. That included Wanda.

Alex saw them in the doorway. "Finally, I thought you weren't coming home." He joked.

"We had to wait on Kurt. Okay, let's do this." Said Kitty.

"This'll be fun." Muttered Rogue with sarcasm.

Remy who was standing right beside her heard what she said. "_Chere_, it won't be that bad."

She looked at him. "I just don't feel like doin' this now."

Kurt gazed at her. "Me neither. I would rather fill you in on some things."

She knew what he meant. "I know, but that'll have ta wait."

Remy raised an eyebrow. "Huh, is Remy missin' somt'ing here?"

"I'll tell ya later." Rogue told him. He nodded.

Professor Xavier told them all to get comfortable. So they found places to sit. There was almost not enough space but Rogue chose to sit on Remy's lap. And he didn't complain about that one bit.

"Is everyone ready?" Charles said after everyone seemed to be situated. He received some responses but others only groaned and he smiled. "I'll take that as a yes. I know you would prefer to be elsewhere, but I would really like to know what all of you think about our new member. Be honest." He said with a bit of a smile towards the end. He wasn't too sure where this would go. He figured that the worst part was over, but when it comes to teenagers it's hard to be sure.

The first two to speak up were Tabitha and Kurt. Tabitha went first. She glanced over to Wanda. "I really have no right to judge you. But I know we have a few things in common. One is that we both have idiots for fathers. They don't really care about us, they only care about what we can do for them. I suppose I turned out okay, but that wouldn't have even been possible if I hadn't came back here. I realized, after being at the Brotherhood and on my own again, that this place was the best thing for me. I hope that helped you. To get to the point, parents don't have anything to do with who you are. If so I'd be a complete moron. I believe you'll make a great addition to the X-Men. You are nothing like Magneto, as far I can tell. You're alright, girl."

Wanda sat there and listened. She looked at Tabitha from time to time while she spoke, to be polite and to make sure she was truthful. "I guess we do have some things in common, for sure. And you're so right, I am nothing like that bigoted fool."

After Kurt saw that Tabitha and Wanda were done he broke in. "Wanda, even I have some similarities with you, so does Rogue. Our mother isn't the nicest person on the planet. I think she may be trying to change but it's unclear after all she's done. But my point is that we all came here from different walks of life. Tabitha was right, our parents can't make you who you are. The person you become is all up to you. I'm not saying I trust you with my life just yet, I'm only saying that I'll give you a chance. You never seemed to be a bad person. You were only misled and life itself got to you. I know how that feels." He paused for a bit then said, "I don't know what else to say."

Wanda nodded. "Yeah. Life can suck. Thank both of you for you kind words." She was grateful that so far no one else had gotten bitter.

Rogue thought about what Tabitha and Kurt said and she was thinking that maybe she should jump in next. Since they were along the lines of family. "Okay, I just wanna say that I agree on tha things they said. I don't even have room ta speak when it comes ta bein' on tha wrong side. I used ta be with tha Brotherhood, even if it was an extremely short period of time. Though, I was only there 'cause of Mystique messin' with my head. Makin' me think tha X-Men were my enemies when they weren't. Even though she's not my real mama, she's tha only one I have. Anyway, after I came here I still wasn't tha best person ta be around. I was a total bitch. If someone rubs me tha wrong way I can still be that way. So don't. I know you and I are kind of alike with tha gothic look and all. And we both have tempers, although yours seems ta beat mine." Rogue grinned slightly.

Wanda did too for she knew exactly what she was referring to. They did have some things in common, mainly just the gothic looks and they could be quite bitchy, but that was better than nothing.

Rogue went on. "I think ya see where I'm goin' here so I'll just say that I don't trust you. Not yet. Right now I feel that you're either bein' honest and really want ta be here or ya could end up betrayin' us." Rogue said. Then she added, "I'm not easy on trustin' people either, so you'll have ta work hard ta earn it from me."

"I understand what you mean. I don't want to betray you guys though. I really do want to be here. But I know only time will prove that. I think I'd feel the same if I were in your position." Wanda said. She was glad that Rogue wasn't too harsh. "And to be frank, I'm not quick to trust myself."

Once Wanda finished her last sentence the room was silent for a while. Xavier broke through the silence by saying, "Does anyone else want to speak up?"

Jubilee took that opportunity. "Sure. I guess I'll go." She looked over at Wanda. "I can't really relate to you in any way as the others so far have, but having Magneto for a father has to be tough. Just don't blow your chances here. If you're really looking to change then this is the best option you have."

"I know. I'm not planning on messing up either. If I do make a mistake then I'm sorry. But don't we all make mistakes?" Wanda stated.

"Yeah, we sure do." Said Alex. He felt he should get his thoughts out there. "I haven't made any huge mistakes, lately. But I did almost screwed up everything because your father talked me into going with him. It made sense at the time when I had no idea what to do with my powers. I'm glad my big bro and the X-Men were around. Even though I got him into the same predicament. Thankfully, everything turned out well in the end."

"Funny, most of the bad things that happened to you all was because of my father." Her words were oozing with sarcasm. "Even some of the things Mystique did was because of him. He's insane. But for some reason I still do love him."

Tabitha, Kurt and Rogue nodded in agreement. They knew what she meant about loving someone regardless of how they were treated by that person. Wanda had a feeling they could relate there.

Even though Rogue agreed on the fact that Magneto has caused the X-Men loads of grief she wasn't as forgiving towards Mystique. And she recalled some of the things that Wanda had done as well. She had to speak her mind. "I have to say somethin' else, while I agree on Magneto bein' a huge problem for us, I don't agree that _all_of Mystique's deranged plans were his fault. She has her own mind. Plus, now that I think about it, you weren't really much help. You could have murdered us all at tha mall! Or have ya forgotten that?"

Wanda sighed, she thought things were looking up. "Yeah, but my father's a lunatic. He probably threatened her. As for me, I was angry. I didn't know what the hell to do, Rogue. You should get some of this. You did bad things for Mystique, maybe not nearly as bad. But she's not as evil. It appears she has a soft spot here and there, mainly when it comes to you and Kurt. With Magneto, there's no such thing. Unless it's Pietro. Or if he can control me."

"Whatever." Rogue said. She didn't feel like saying any more. Only time would reveal how Wanda was going to be. Until then she was going to be careful with being around her, whether or not they had some common ground.

Samual wasn't sure what to say at that point, but he wanted to join the conversation so he said, "Wanda, all I'm gonna say is that I hope this turns out well for all of us. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Thanks." That was all Wanda could get out. She was still thinking about what Rogue had brought up. She really could have killed them.

"As long as Scott cuts you some slack." Ray added to Sam's comment. Scott gave him a look that said "Watch it". "I'm just saying . . . " Ray added and then he was quiet.

The room fell silent again. But this time before the Professor said anything Amara broke the silence. "I'm excited that we'll have another girl on the team. So don't disappoint us. We need you." Her words weren't mean, they were actually on a humorous note. She really was happy to have another girl on the team. Most of the girls agreed with her.

Rahne commented, "Yeah, there's more guys. Another girl is a good thing."

"Hopefully." Kitty said. "I've been trying to find something to say but mostly everyone's covered it. But here goes . . . I'm not going to be your best friend and I'm not going to treat you like an enemy either, so don't worry. If I get to know you then maybe we could be closer. I'm not too hard on trusting people, but I'm still not stupid."

Wanda spoke: "I'm glad most of the girls are happy that I'm here since I'm a girl. I don't expect any of you to trust me or be best pals with me. You already know how I feel about trusting. All I would like is to be treated with respect."

Roberto said, "I'll respect you, but you have to respect us as well. That's how it should be."

"Of course, it should go both ways." She then explained, "At the Brotherhood no one respected anyone. It was irritating and it got under my skin so damn much. I didn't exactly respect them either, but why should I when they had not even an ounce of respect for me _and _my personal space. This place will be different, I know. And thank God."

Rogue and Tabitha knew very well what she meant about respect at the Brotherhood house. It didn't really mean a thing there. And that sure did get annoying at times. Especially when you're pretty much the only girl.

Once more, nobody said a thing. This time it seemed that they were finished. Everyone who could think of anything said it. Those who already spoke that morning didn't feel like repeating themselves. And whoever didn't speak just didn't know what to say or didn't feel up to it.

Charles glanced at everyone. "Would anyone else like to share their opinion before I dismiss you?"

There was silence. It was so quiet this time that if a pin had fallen it would have been heard. After a few seconds Professor X was about to start talking when Bobby broke in.

"I have something quick to say." Stated Bobby.

Xavier glanced at him. "Go ahead, Bobby."

He stood up. "Okay, Um, I just want to say good luck. This place can be loco and even quite difficult. Just wait until you start training. Logan will work you like cray." Bobby looked over to where Logan was and when he saw the expression upon his face he said, "But it pays off in the long run. Also, don't expect me to take a bullet for you yet. You have to be willing to take one for me, or any of us, if that would happen to come up." Bobby looked around the room and added, "That will be all." He was being silly at that moment and he bowed. Then he sat back down.

Some laughed at him. It was like him to be a goof, even at a time like this. But that was Bobby.

Wanda smiled slightly. "Yeah, thanks. And I know what you mean. It's all about the trust thing."

Jubilee looked over to Bobby. "Seriously, if someone was going to shoot her you wouldn't save her?"

Bobby said, "I didn't mean it that way. I just meant I'm not going to die for her." He grinned, "I'm not taking a bullet for any of you." They knew he was kidding around again.

Professor Xavier was smiling and shaking his head. "Thank you, Bobby. Now, would anyone else like to speak?" Nobody said a single word. "Okay then, I would say that this meeting went well. It's clear that trust will be the biggest issue. But that's understandable. I'm certain that as time passes on things will get better. This is just a big step for all of us." He paused for a moment in-case anyone else wanted to jump in as Bobby had.

Evan decided he'd throw something out there. "Wanda, at least you have one really good advantage of being here."

"And what would that be?" She asked.

"If you screw up badly none of the teachers will want to have a parent/teacher conference." He actually made a joke. Lately he wasn't the jokester he used to be, but every so often he'd lay one down.

Others laughed. Bobby chuckled and high-fived him. "Good one Evan. Why didn't I say that?"

"That's real mature guys." Said Kitty with a grin.

Wanda couldn't help but smile. She almost laughed. "I guess that's true though." She said.

When no one else said anything after a long pause, Xavier continued, "Well, if no one else has anything more to say then I suppose this is over." He waited. "Is this really the end this time? No more last minute comments?" He smiled.

Some of them laughed. Others smiled. The rest just sat there waiting to clear out of the room.

"Very well then, you are dismissed."

Wanda was glad that none of the comments that afternoon were that harsh. This was a far better meeting than the one from that morning. The harshest people still remained to be Logan, Scott and Laura. That was a known fact and they'd be the hardest to persuade.

Everyone started to exit the room. Most of the students were gone. All that remained were the teachers, Jean, Scott and Wanda. Kurt and Rogue hurried to get somewhere private for he really wanted to talk to her about what Mystique had said. Others would be filled in at some point, but for now they wanted to keep it amongst themselves.

Jean and Scott walked towards the exit. As they did Jean turned to Wanda. "All went well this round."

"Yeah. I'm grateful there were no more repeats of this morning." Wanda stated.

Jean smiled but Scott flashed Wanda a cold look. Jean picked up on his vibe. "Scott, let it go. Come on." She grabbed his hand and they left the room.

Wanda got up and faced the few that remained which were Hank, Ororo, Logan and Charles. "Well, I'm going up to my room. Even though I took that nap this morning I'm still bushed."

Hank nodded. "You had a tough first day, I suppose."

"Yep. I sure did." She admitted.

Xavier said, "Make certain that you downstairs before 6:30."

"Why?" She was confused.

"That's when we're having dinner." Professor X told her.

"Oh, okay. I will."

Ororo walked up to her. "I'll check in with you if you're not down her by at least 6:20. You know, incase you'd happen to fall asleep. You look very tired."

Wanda smiled a bit. "I am. Thanks."

"No problem. I've done it for other students here. Sometimes they come home from school and fall asleep."

"Can't say I blame them." Wanda said sarcastically.

Ororo laughed. "Well, see you around dinner."

Wanda was heading towards the exit and she passed Logan. He didn't say anything. He only looked at her and did the same thing he did earlier that day. With his index and middle finger he pointed to his eyes and then with his index finger he pointed to her.

She said, "I know, I know. You'll be watching me."

After she left he smirked. "Smart one. She catches on easily."

Hank and Charles shook their heads. Ororo rolled her eyes and grinned. "Well, hon, it's kind of hard for her not to. You remind her every time you two run across one another."

He shrugged. "I'm headin' outta here, Chuck. See ya at dinner."

Before Ororo left the room she said, "Yes, and I had better go and get things together for dinner."

They left the room. Only Xavier and Hank remained and they talked. Since they were alone they discussed more on what they were trying to do for Scott.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kurt and Rogue were upstairs in his room. He had closed the door because he wanted what he had to say about Mystique kept on the down-low, at least for the time being. He didn't care if she told Remy at some point for he knew he'd keep quiet, but he didn't want the whole mansion to know. He figured that some of them would try to stop him from contacting Mystique and most certainly meeting her. However, if he chose to meet her he did not want to go alone.

Rogue stood over by Kurt's window for a moment. He pulled the chair to his desk out and slid it over towards his bed and motioned for her to sit down on it. Once she sat down he sat on the edge of his bed across from her so that they were facing each other.

"So, Kurt, what's up with Mystique?" She was curious to find out what they had talked about.

Kurt didn't know where to start. He was afraid that Rogue would flip out and act vindictive. He also feared she would find it stupid and foolish for him to even consider seeing the shape-shifter.

"I'll start at the beginning." He said and then continued on. "After Mr. Lee left the classroom it appeared that he came back. I thought he forgot something. But soon it was revealed that our mother was disguised as him. She mentioned that she gave you her cell number." He explained.

"Yeah, I told ya all about my run-in with her." She cut in.

Kurt shot her a look of annoyance. "Let me finish, please." She crossed her arms and scowled but allowed him to go on. "Since neither of us had called her it seems that she was kind of distraught about it. I don't know why, but somehow she was bothered that one of us didn't call her. She assumed I'd definitely call."

"I told ya ta go ahead and call her. I'm not stoppin' ya." Rogue retorted, uncrossing her arms.

Kurt bit his lip. "I don't just want to call her. I want to see her as well."

She stared at him and raised an eyebrow. "Kurt, I hope you're not positively takin' this inta consideration. Look what she's done."

He hesitated but said, "Yeah, I know. But I _am_ taking it into consideration." And that was all he said for he already could see the fury building up in Rogue's eyes and all over her face.

"Are ya crazy?! This is foolish. No Kurt, I would rather ya not see her. She's a complete psychopath. She doesn't love us." She exclaimed, almost screaming at times.

"Calm down, Rogue. I know all about the way she is. But people change and I'm willing to give her another chance." He stated trying to stay calm himself.

Rogue glared at him and shook her head. "You _are_ crazy. She's not gonna change - never. People like that don't."

Kurt gazed into her eyes. "You don't know that. Neither do I." He waited before going on. She was looking back at him. "I just have to try this."

"I don't know. I think you're bein' dumb."

"I need this. Please. No offense, but she is my blooded mother. I'd like for this to work out."

"None taken. I'm glad she's _not_ my real mother, no offense to you either. But I'm grateful to have you as a brother, even if it's not through blood ties." She thought about what she had said and started to cave in some. "This is only gonna turn out badly."

"I have to do this." He paused again then went on. "I'm not sure what her true plans are. She looked sincere, but I don't know." Kurt said.

She placed her hands on her lap and locked her fingers together, sort of nervously. The thought of Kurt going to see Mystique didn't settle well with her, no matter how she tried to assure herself. "So, you're definitely serious? You're really wantin' ta meet up with her? This is so messed up."

"Rogue, I know. You think I don't? But maybe, just maybe, she's trying to change. It's possible. Anything's possible in the world we live in. We're a living proof." He sounded upset and he was. He knew Rogue wouldn't be rational. He did understand her point, he only wished she'd understand.

"True. But what if she's settin' ya up - again?" She was calmer.

Kurt sighed and looked her directly in the eyes. "That's why I want _you_ to come with me."

The calmness washed away and Rogue stood up. "Hell no! I've already told ya that I want nothin' ta do with her. She fucked up my life enough."

Kurt stood up too. "Come on, Rogue. I don't trust her either. But we can't push her away completely. I'd love to have a real family. Sure, you're not my biological sister, but I see you as if you were. I _really_ want this to work." He was torn. He felt hurt and angry.

"That's exactly why I think this is a bad idea. What if she's up ta somethin'? Ya want this so bad that if you're let down it could really crush ya. I don't wanna see ya get hurt. You're the only brother I have. I don't want anything ta happen to ya." She was getting somewhat emotional. She could feel her eyes swell with tears.

"Just give her a chance. If she's trying to fool us again then I'm done. I even made it clear to her that this was her last chance to make things right. If her wanting to see us isn't only because she wants us around then it's her loss. At least we'd still have each other. And everyone here. I just want to try. Please, Rogue." His emotions were coming through as well.

Rogue choked back her tears. "I don't know, Kurt. I just don't know." She was shaking her head, slowly.

Kurt grabbed her hands. "Please. I want to see her. I have to at least give her one last chance. But I don't want to go by myself. I need you. It would mean so much to me."

She felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. This was one of the hardest decision she ever had to make, and it surely would not be the last or even the hardest. But that didn't make it any easier. She gazed into her brother's eyes and she could see that he too was on the verge of crying. _"Since when do I get so damn emotional?" _she asked herself mentally. She hated to see him like this. So she decided that this one time she'd give in to her insecurities about what their mother may be up to. It was mostly for his protection.

Rogue closed her eyes tightly trying to keep the tears from falling, but it was a lost attempt for they trickled down anyways. When she opened her eyes she saw that Kurt hadn't any luck at keeping his from falling either. She squeezed his hands.

"Fine. I'll go with ya." She said halfheartedly. She didn't actually want to, but she had to.

Kurt's face lit up some. "Oh thank you so much. I love you. I know you know that but still . . . ." He threw his arms around her.

Seeing him happy made her smile. She embraced him back. "I'm only doin' it for you. _Not_ for her."

He pulled away some. "That's good enough for me. And try not to be rude to her though."

"I'll try. But if she does even _one_ thing that's outta line I'm gonna snap and let her know." She wanted to make that clear.

"I won't stop you." He said back.

"Good." She hugged him again. It felt nice to hug without worrying about hurting someone. "I love ya too ya blue fuzz-ball."

Kurt smiled as he returned her embrace this time. After they pulled away they began to head towards his door. He opened it and they walked into the hall.

Kurt said, "It's a good thing no one was out here."

"Why? In-case they would have heard us talkin'?" She asked in puzzlement.

"No, they may have thought we were messing around." He joked.

Rogue swatted him on the arm. "You're sick. Have ya been hangin' around that Cajun?"

He grinned. "Not that much. I just had to say something funny. A time like this needs some humor."

"Well, that humored things up alright." She said and she playfully pushed as she left his words run through her head.

He grinned and pushed her back in the same manner, then he went back to a more serious note. "When do you want to do this?"

"What?" She said and then it clicked. "Um, duh! The thing with our mama. Right. I don't care."

"Are you busy after school tomorrow?"

"Nope. Except for some possible homework, I'm free."

"Do you just want to get it over then?" He asked. He knew he did.

She contemplated it a second or so. "Hm, I guess the sooner tha better. So why not?"

"Okay, I'll call her then." Kurt stated. "I'll tell you what she says as soon as possible."

"Peachy." Rogue said sarcastically.

They then parted. He went back into his room to get his extra credit assignment started. She went to hers and Kitty's room just to chill a bit.

Kurt was glad Rogue gave in and was going to meet Mystique with him. He still felt nervous about the whole thing but having her with him would ease that some. He was hoping that it would go well. But he was serious when he said it was the final attempt in placing any trust in their mother. He didn't have any for her as of now.

Rogue couldn't believe she agreed to tag along with Kurt, but she was by no means allowing him to see their mother alone. If it was a trap she wanted to be there. Hopefully they didn't both get caught in it though. If so they were both screwed badly. This is something she feared greatly.

* * *

Kurt was in his room at his desk and he couldn't concentrate on his homework. He wanted to finish it then call Mystique, however his mind wasn't on homework. He glanced over to his phone several times within a half hour.

"What the heck." He said to himself. He pulled out the paper with the cell phone number and he reached over and picked up the phone.

As he began to dial the number his stomach began to do flip-flops. He wanted this so badly, but at the same time he was a little terrified. He put the phone back before he completed dialing the number and stared at the paper. Then he was looking back and forth from the paper to the phone.

"Oh, stop being a coward." He told himself.

He picked up the phone again and dialed the number all the way. He heard it ringing and he took in a deep breath. It didn't take long for the call to be answered.

On the other end came a voice: "Hello."

Kurt almost froze but he snapped out of it. "Mother. It's Kurt."

Mystique was happy to be getting a call from him, although she didn't allow it to sound too prominent over the phone. She was Mystique after-all. "Kurt . . . you actually called me?"

"Yeah. And I did talk to Rogue. We're both going to see you after school tomorrow." He said with happiness and nervousness all tied together.

"Really? I'm not surprised that you are. But how did you get her to?" She had a feeling Rogue wasn't tagging along just for kicks or because she wanted to see her.

Kurt had to ponder it momentarily. "Um, I don't know. I told her that it would mean a lot to me if she'd come along. I want it to feel like we're a family and that would make it feel that way. I hope."

"I'm not sure that it will, nevertheless she's more than welcome to come. I too want this to work, Son. I do care about both of you. Whether you believe it or not. I was never one to express my feelings well. It's hard for me to even say this much." Said Mystique.

"It helps though. Anyway, I have to get back to my homework. I just had to call you."

"Sure. School is important. So I will see you both after school tomorrow?" She said with uncertainty in her voice.

"Yep. We'll meet you in the parking lot."

"I'll be waiting in the disguise of my new identity, Saphira Richards. Rogue knows what to look for." She explained.

"Okay. I do have to go now. See you tomorrow." He said to her.

She said, "I'll see you." She had an odd feeling. Only time would tell how this would all turn out.

Kurt hung up the phone and sat there for a while. He couldn't believe what he was doing, but if he didn't do it he'd wonder forever if Mystique was really trying to change or if she was just trying to feed him and Rogue more garbage. Shortly he went back to his homework. He'd tell Rogue when he got to see her again, which probably wouldn't be until the following morning. The prom was getting so close and her and Kitty have been going over makeup and hair ideas. He knew that wasn't like Rogue but he loved to see her act more like a girl.

Back at her apartment Mystique had been sitting on her couch. After she hung up with Kurt some emotion started to hit her. She's never felt like this before. It was odd, she was happy in a way. And she was worried that things wouldn't go the way she wanted them to. She knew, for the most part, that Kurt wouldn't be a problem. He's more reasonable. She had doubts with Rogue. She was afraid she'd make the whole gathering miserable. But she could be wrong. Rogue's just lost and confused and mostly from being misled so many times.

Mystique said to herself, "I honestly want to make things right. I only hope that Rogue and I don't have a dispute."

With that said she remained seated on her couch. She kept thinking about everything that her and Kurt had talked about just moments ago and their conversation from earlier that day. She was surprised that he had called her so soon. She thought it would have taken longer. But she was glad it didn't.

* * *

_I know that this chapter took a long, long time - sorry. I had some writers block. But now it's finished and up, so I hope y'all liked it:) I did put lots of work into this though. And I'll try to have the next chapter completed and posted much sooner:) A lot of the time I know what I want to do but I can't figure out how to piece it all together. Hopefully I do not have any of those problems this time around:) Anyway, I can't wait to see what you think:) Another big thank you to Slickboy444 - you're awesome! Well, take care everyone:)_

* * *


	15. Delicate Circumstances

**Chapter Fourteen  
**  
The next morning came and everyone already had breakfast and were about to go to where they needed to go. Some of them already left while others were taking it slower since they weren't walking. The ones who hadn't left yet were Rogue, Kurt and Kitty. Once again they were hanging around with each other. Remy offered to take Kitty to school while Rogue took herself and Kurt. Rogue told Remy about where she and Kurt were going after school. He didn't really like the idea but he didn't dismiss it either. Nor would he tell a soul for he knew how some of the X-Men would react. More than likely Charles and Jean had an idea, due to their telepathy, but nobody else did.

At this moment the four were about to leave as Jean entered the garage. She looked at Rogue and Kurt strangely for a second. Then she walked over to the four of them.

"So, this is different." She commented on Remy taking Kitty and Rogue taking Kurt.

Kitty said, "Let's just say that I lost a bet with Rogue. So Remy's giving me a ride instead."

Jean cocked an eyebrow and looked at her oddly. "Okay . . . ."

Kitty only grinned and even blushed some. The others laughed at her. Remy winked at Kitty causing Rogue to roll her eyes and shake her head, but not in a irritated manner.

Once that was done with Jean thought a bit before saying, "Rogue, Kurt, would you two have some time to spare? It'll be quick. I promise."

Rogue and Kurt looked at one another. "Yeah, we do." Kurt said with uncertainty. He had a pretty good idea to what this was about.

"What he said. But do make it quick." Rogue said.

When the three walked off Kitty glanced at Remy and raised her eyebrow. "What was that all about?"

Remy shrugged, pretending he had no clue either. And he was great at things like that. "Remy have no idea."

Once Jean figured they were far enough away and out of earshot she said, "I know what you two are going to do after school today." She still spoke softly.

"Are ya readin' our minds?! Some things are none of your business, ya know." Rogue snapped, trying not to get too loud. But she did press that she was annoyed by Jean's prying.

"And some things are hard not to pick up on, Rogue, without actually reading your minds. Your thoughts were just so loud. I'm sure the Professor knows also." Jean stated.

Rogue was irritated. "Still, what we do is our business. Not yours."

"I'm sorry. I'm only worried about you two. You are my friends. I love you both." Jean stated.

Rogue calmed a bit. "Yeah, I suppose so. I just hate your powers at times. Xavier isn't pulling us aside though."

Jean smiled. "Maybe he knows you'll be fine. I'm not so sure."

Kurt looked Jean in the eye. "You're not going to try and stop us are you? If so, it won't work."

"Kurt, no. I only want to say 'be careful'. You both know how she can be. Just don't _ever_ let your guard down. Not even for a split second." Jean told them.

Rogue sighed. "I know _exactly_ how she is. But I promised Kurt I'd go with him. Mainly 'cause I don't want him ta go alone. I don't trust her as far as I can throw her."

"Have you told anyone?" Jean asked them.

"She told Remy. But nobody else, aside from you and more than likely Professor X, knows." Kurt proclaimed.

"Good. Keep it that way. If Logan or Scott find out they won't be too happy. And I know they'll try to dissuade you." Jean said.

"I'm surprised your not tryin' to." Rogue retorted sounding a little bitter.

Jean smiled slightly. "Well, let's just say that for one, I have no right to tell you what to do. And two, I understand why you want to do this." Upon seeing Rogue's expression when she said the word 'understand' she added, "To a point. Family's important."

Rogue then nodded. "We better get goin'. Thanks for not gettin' in tha way or rattin' on us."

"Yeah." Kurt agreed.

"Good luck and be _very_ careful." Jean said.

With that all said Jean headed back into the mansion to do whatever she could find to do. Whether it was helping Ororo or one of the other mentors. The other two headed back over to Kitty and Remy.

Kitty looked at them with puzzlement. "What did she want?"

Searching for a quick answer Kurt said, "It was about the prom."

Rogue somewhat glared at him. Remy saw but luckily Kitty didn't. "Yeah, she wanted to tell me that she could also lend a hand to me. Ya know, extra help since I'm not used ta that kinda shit."

"Why did she need to speak to Kurt though?" Kitty asked with confusion written all over her face.

Kurt had to think quick. "Oh, she said she'd help me pick a really nice corsage for you."

"But we're not actually going _together_." Kitty stated.

"I know. I guess she was getting me back for making comments about her and Scott so many times."

It still was odd and Kitty wasn't sure she bought it, however she didn't press any further. "Okay. While we're on the subject, we can start getting tickets today."

"I didn't forget." Said Kurt.

"How could a person not remember when she talks about it twenty-four/seven." Rogue said with a little grin.

Kitty shoved her playfully. "I'm just so excited about it!"

"Well, enough chit-chat Kit, we have ta leave or we'll be late." Rogue said as she put her helmet on and got on to her bike.

Kurt got on with her and put on the extra helmet. After Remy had his helmet on and was seated on his own bike Kitty hopped on behind him. She placed his extra helmet on her head and then it didn't take much longer for them to take off. Remy knew he wouldn't need to go to the school later since Rogue and Kurt wouldn't be coming home right away. Everyone, except him, Jean and Xavier, thought that Rogue and Kurt were staying after school for some help with one of their classes. Hopefully, for their sake, it stayed that way.

* * *

Everything at the institute was pretty calm at the time being, since there were only two students there. At the moment Ororo was teaching them. Xavier would get them next, followed by Hank. The others wouldn't have to worry about boredom for sure because Logan arranged a Danger Room session. He wanted anyone who was free to participate. Wanda was new and he thought she should get a taste of what the X-Men dealt with nearly every day. Along with her, he asked Jean, Scott, Piotr and Warren to train. Remy would have been a good help but he wasn't back yet.

Everyone Logan chose met up in the Danger Room. They all knew that he would pick a tough program, whether someone's new or not. He figured it would better them for the real world where things aren't candy coated.

Piotr and Warren looked at Wanda who didn't seem all that troubled. They were much like that when they first trained but they found that it was much harder than they anticipated it to be. She was tough, but so were they.

Wanda glanced around the room. She never saw anything like it before. At the moment it didn't look too out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, she would soon be astounded.

Logan entered the room. He had set up the program to start soon. At first he was going to just watch the five train and check on their progress that way, but he changed his mind. He actually preferred to join in. Plus it evened out the odds.

"O.K. The session will start in five minutes. I hope you're all ready." He looked at them all but focused on Wanda a bit longer.

Most were ready for whatever he dished out. Jean and Scott extensively knew how difficult these kinds of things could get, considering how long they've been there. Wanda didn't flinch just yet.

"Aren't you going to explain what we're to do?" Asked Warren. He knew that Logan mostly always gave them as many details as possible so they knew where to start.

Logan smirked. "Only this: watch your backs and look out for one another. We aren't splitting up into teams, we're one team." He peered over to Wanda. "Don't take this lightly. It's not a game. If ya really wanna be an X-Man then how you perform in training sessions will be proof of how true you are."

Wanda said, "I want to be here."

"That's somethin' you'll have to prove." Logan replied. "We have each others' backs here, so remember that."

"As long as you watch mine I'll watch yours." She told him and then she glanced at the others.

"Ya better." Logan said. He didn't seem too convinced at that point.

The room began to take on a different aspect. As it changed they appeared to be standing in a large, grassy meadow that was surrounded by numerous trees. At first everyone thought it was a joke. They usually trained with old buildings and things like that.

Wanda looked taken back. All of this was completely new to her. Logan couldn't help but grin about it.

"You'll get used to it. If you're indeed wantin' to be one of us." He said. He then added, "If you're surprised now, wait until the program runs in further. There are gonna be more changes. Stay alert 'cause this isn't a game, by far."

Wanda said, even though it was still a lot for her to suck up, "I'll do my best."

Logan smiled slightly. "That's all I ask, but I'll know if ya don't take it seriously that ya don't take any of this seriously."

She nodded. "I'll take it seriously."

Logan grunted. He still didn't trust her, even if it was only training. She had a long way to go to earn any trust from him. But if she proved herself here she may be serious. For her sake he hoped she was.

The program took full effect. No one aside from Logan had any idea to what was going to happen next. But even though he programmed it, it would still be hard because things could happen and come out of nowhere.

Jean looked to her teammates. "I hope you're all ready." Then she looked to only Logan. "Who knows what we're up against." She smiled.

"You'll find out soon enough, Jeanie." Logan said smiling back.

Seconds after he spoke they could hear strange, loud noises coming from within the imitation forest. In seconds later they began to see a huge form coming towards them. It was taller than some of the trees and it took out some of them as it plowed through.

The footsteps were getting much louder. At that point they all could see vividly what was coming out. Logan knew but the others didn't. No one was that happy about it.

Scott said, "A Sentinel?! Haven't we had enough on them? Considering that we even fought these things for real? Plus, we just did a session with them last week."

Piotr, Warren, Jean and Wanda stared at the huge anti-mutant robot. Jean looked at Scott. "Just because we've trained and fought these things already it doesn't mean we shouldn't train more on them." She knew why they had to do this.

Warren understood Scott's point but he agreed with Jean. "When it comes to these things there's never enough training."

"Enough talk. Any discussions'll be held afterward." Logan said gruffly.

Wanda looked a bit nervous now. Piotr noticed and, being the kind person he is, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Wanda, you'll be okay. We won't let anything happen to you."

"Thanks, but those are just so frightening. I hate those things."

Logan faced her. "Do ya think any of us like 'em? Still we gotta deal with 'em 'cause they'll always be around in some shape or form."

Now there was no more time for small talk. The Sentinel was closer and it would soon be time to fight. It was an actual Sentinel that the X-Men had managed to get and restore. But for their sake it only works when programmed by one of them. However, it works the same way.

It began to scan over the six of them. In no time it had labeled them all as mutants, which they knew it would. For some reason it sought out Wanda first. That wasn't set up by Logan. He had no idea who it would go for first.

Wanda was staring up at the Sentinel. It raised its enormous arm straight forward with its palm facing her. She almost panicked. But she pulled herself together in enough time to dodge the laser. She then shot back with a dose of her hexing power. The Sentinel didn't seem to be bothered at all. It was only a scratch to it and the robot moved on to its next target, which was Scott. It didn't take much for him. Before the thing even got out a shot he blasted it. That left a noticeable mark on its abdominal area and the spot was smoking. That didn't stop the Sentinel though.

Everyone decided to try and confuse it so they spread out some. Scott kept on shooting at it. Jean began to use her telekinesis to try and slow it. It barely made it budge, but she kept on attempting it. Warren flew overhead and that had the Sentinel confused for sure. It didn't know which way to go next.

Piotr ran at full speed at it, making it stumble slightly. Warren began to fly into it but that didn't really do too much aside from maybe annoy it. Wanda used her hexing blasts, but now she used all the force she could. This time the Sentinel actually stumbled some from it. She grinned. Jean levitated herself, so the Sentinel had to deal with two of them above the ground and four on the ground. It was disoriented.

Logan now began to attack it. He wanted them to get a good start that way he could see how they did. He was happy with the progress so he was going to lend a hand and some claws. He popped out his claws on both hands and ran at the Sentinel. He shoved his claws into the bottom of its legs and slowly moved up by removing the claws of only one hand at a time.

Jean's powers weren't doing a whole lot besides keep the Sentinel confused. That went the same for Warren. Piotr, Wanda, Scott and Logan were wearing it down some though. It now realized that something was climbing up its back. That caused it to struggled to get Logan off. As the Sentinel flung its tremendous arms it caught Warren off guard and sent him flying. Jean noticed in the nick of time. She used her telekinetic abilities to stop him from being thrown against one of the artificial trees. Even though they were fake someone could still be hurt by smacking into one of them. She lowered him to ground slowly. He was okay but he may not be able to fly at the moment. The Sentinel's strike went across his left wing.

Logan yelled from the Sentinel's shoulder. "Great team effort! Now, let's bring the damn thing down."

Wanda and Scott used their powers and kept blasting the Sentinel with steady, full force. Piotr ran, slamming into its legs. Each time he'd switch the leg he'd crash in to. Jean used her telekinesis. Unfortunately Warren couldn't do anything but his prior help was well appreciated. Logan was tearing his claws into the back of the Sentinel.

After minutes the Sentinel started to spark and it swayed some. With the force of Jean's, Scott's, Wanda's and Piotr's powers it wouldn't be standing much longer. Logan shredded the back of it pretty good. He dug his claws in one last time but he kept them in as he slid down its back. He did that the whole way to its leg and the rest of the way down. Shortly after he reached the ground the Sentinel began to fall. Logan darted out of the way in time. It then hit the ground hard.

They were all out of breath and sweaty. That was tough. But they knew there would be more. They all joined together again. The fallen Sentinel was removed and the Danger Room went back to normal for the time being.

Jean said, "I think that went well. How's your wing, Warren?"

Warren replied, "Sure did. And it didn't take that long. Oh, it's okay." He stretched it out and flapped it. "Just a little sore. But I'll be able to fly. I hope at least."

"Let's hope so 'cause that was only the first half. As ya already know, there's more. I can't say if it'll be harder or easier. But given how tough that Sentinel was we can take a ten minute break to hydrate and cool down. Bird Boy, that should help you." He said to them all.

Warren was finally getting used to Logan's nicknames. But he didn't care for them. Though, he never felt offended anymore because he knew Logan had one for most of them.

They all went to get bottles of water and they came back to the Danger Room. They just wanted to be done, but they understood the concept of training well and hard. Wanda would be exhausted more so than the others since she's not used to that kind of exertion.

The group didn't have much time to relax. Shortly after they returned Logan stated that the next simulation would be starting up in a couple of minutes. They had enough time to finish their water and throw the empty bottles in the plastics recycling bin.

The Danger Room soon transformed again. This time they seemed to be in a sort of huge, metal maze. This was a little different for them, but they'd soon see that some of the obstacles would be similar to those they've dealt with before. Warren and Piotr may be taken by surprise some, though Wanda will be in complete shock.

Logan ordered, "Again, we are all on the same team. This time things'll get more complicated so be extra cautious. Stick together and be careful. If we would happen to get separated don't panic. As before, any of us could get hurt. But this time the session will be more dangerous considerin' we won't know when or where things will appear. Or even what they are." He looked around them. He knew some of what was expected but he programmed it to be random. So it was a challenge for himself as well as for them. "Brace yourselves, it's gonna be a bumpy ride." He added with a gruffness.

Moments after he spoke things already began to happen. As they were walking through the labyrinth some kind of vine-like rope came out of nowhere and wrapped itself onto Warren's ankles. Scott was the first to take notice. He quickly blasted them off. He lowered his blast so that he didn't injure his own team member. Warren thanked him and Scott nodded.

Shortly after that, there was an area where they could go straight, turn left or turn right. As they moved closer an enormous, metal sphere came from all directions. That split them up. Piotr and Wanda got trapped behind one. Jean, Scott and Logan were trapped behind another. Last but not least, Warren was stuck behind one.

Piotr and Wanda started to try and move the ball. He used his super strength while she used some of her own powers. Nothing was happening to the large, metal ball. They kept on trying though.

Logan tried cutting through the sphere, but his claws only scratched them. They were deep scratches, however that didn't help. Scott was sending optical blasts but nothing happened. And Jean focused on her telekinesis as hard as she could. Still theirs wouldn't budge.

Warren managed to fly up and glide over the one he was trapped behind. The sphere that Piotr and Wanda worked at finally moved, but towards them. Warren got to them just in time. He quickly swooped down and picked them up. The orb rolled off down the maze, disappearing around a bend. Warren landed and left them back down.

"Thanks. We could have been crushed." Said Wanda.

Piotr said, "Thank you, comrade."

"No problem." Warren said to both of them.

Piotr thought a moment about what Wanda had said. "Actually, I wouldn't have been harmed. My powers would have protected me. If it came down to that, they would've probably saved you too, Wanda. I would have tried my hardest to make sure of it."

She smiled slightly. Not many said anything that nice to her within her entire lifetime so far. "But that would be a huge chance to take." She stated.

"True. Lucky for us, Angel got over here in time." Piotr said.

Warren smiled. "It's why I'm here."

The ball that trapped in Jean, Logan and Scott moved, but only slightly. Jean was getting a bit weak. Scott and Logan could tell she wouldn't be able to continue if she kept on using her powers so hard. No matter how much force she used the sphere would barely move. That thing was lodged there tightly.

"Jean, take a rest. Allow Logan and I to work at it." Scott demanded.

She moaned because her head was hurting. "Damn. This is so hard."

"Stop Jean." Said Scott.

"Yeah, don't wear yourself down, Red." Logan agreed.

Just then an idea came to her. "Why don't I try to levitate you over it? One at a time. Then I'll get myself over it."

Scott said, "I don't know. You can't see the other side. What if there's another obstacle just waiting for us?"

"I don't know. I can check for that and see where the others are." She placed her fingertips onto each temple and concentrated. "There's nothing on the other side. Angel, Colossus and Scarlet Witch are all off to our left. They got out of their trap safe and sound."

"Where are the other orbs?" Scott asked.

"Gone." She replied.

Logan was getting irritated. He set this up but he didn't realize how tough it really would be. Especially for him. "Son-of-a-bitch!" He cursed. Then he charged at the orb and clawed at it. The cuts were deeper. So he kept at it.

Scott said, "Calm down, Wolverine. Jean is going to levitate us over - separately. Then she's going to levitate herself over it."

Jean confirmed what Scott said. "Yeah. It'll only take a few seconds."

"Don't bother, Jeanie. I think I'm getting somewhere." Logan told her.

"Actually, Jean's plan will be the best one." Scott stated.

Logan looked irritated. "How so, Goggle Boy?"

Scott scowled some at the nickname but answered, nevertheless. "One: it's quick. Two: it's safe."

"Is the rest of the team over there or somethin'?" Logan asked.

Jean replied, "Not directly, but we don't know where this thing will roll. If it dislodges itself it could possibly go their way, to our left. We don't want that. My way will make it safe for all six of us."

Logan had to think about it. "O.K., fine. Then let's do this. Lift Cyclops over first."

Jean nodded and then she used her telekinesis to get Scott over the sphere. Once he was over she did the same for Logan. Soon she got over it herself. When she was on her own feet again she noticed that Scott and Logan met up with Wanda, Piotr and Warren.

The team was reunited. They all looked relieved. Logan couldn't help but grin at the whole situation.

"Don't get too happy. There's more." He stated.

They all looked over at him. The first obstacle in that course was tough and he had more planned. That was so like Logan.

The six continued through the maze. All was well now, but that wouldn't last. They were keeping in check with everything around them.

"I hope there's not any more of those big, metal balls." Wanda said to Jean.

Jean smiled. "With Logan, it's hard to tell what to expect. I do doubt there will be more of those in this session though."

"Good. They were horrible." Wanda finally admitted that this wasn't a picnic.

"Well, don't be too excited, Wanda, it could be worse. And most likely it will be." Jean informed her.

Before anything else could be said the maze became extremely dark. Then a false wind began to blow towards the direction they were walking. That made it harder for most of them to walk well. The only one who didn't seem to have any trouble was Piotr for he kept to his metal form. Logan wasn't too affected since his bones were made up of adamantium. But he still struggled slightly against the fake wind.

Piotr asked, "Does anyone mind if I walk ahead. I may be able to block some of this wind?"

No one really cared. Logan glanced over at him, "Why don't we both walk in the front?" He suggested that because the wind wasn't as threatening to him.

"Sure." Piotr agreed.

However, things were going to get more tricky. Objects were beginning to pop up in front of them. They were wall-like objects, except they left spaces on one side or the other. In most cases it wasn't too hard to pass around them, but the wind made it harder. Since the wind was only passing around the small spaces between the objects and the walls of the maze, it came like a gust. Then to make matters worse some of the wall-like objects would begin to slide, trying to block their escape around it. At one point everyone aside from Jean and Piotr got through. As Jean went to run through the opening the object began to move, almost crushing her. Piotr ran over and held it until she passed through. When she was safely through then he went on through. She thanked him, gratefully.

The training sessions weren't always too dangerous. Usually Logan had the simulations set to override if there was any real danger, so the teammate wouldn't actually be killed. There may be some injuries but that's all. He took sessions seriously. However, he didn't want anyone to get extremely hurt or killed. Most of the time there were no worries because everyone had each others' back.

After a while of dodging through little spaces and fighting against the imitation wind, the wind died down to a breeze. Everything was okay for a bit. The wall-like obstacles were all gone. Logan had one more obstacle planned for that session and he knew what it was since it was the only one left. But he didn't know when it would come. And he wasn't going to inform them what it was. He did find it appropriate that he should let them know there was one more and it would be the hardest yet.

He turned to face them. "Listen, we only have one last thing to come. I wanna tell ya that it's gonna be the worst. But as long as we stay together and work as a team, as we have been, we'll all do fine." He then turned back around and they all continued on their way.

Only a few minutes after he gave them a heads up the maze finally faded away and the last obstacles were about to come into play. The scenery that appeared gave them the illusion that they were walking down a dark alley. The buildings were spread out and deserted. They began to enter the back of a building that seemed very ancient. Some of it was completely shattered. Bricks and metal strips were littered all over the place. And there was a creepy kind of air about it.

"This is a lovely place." Wanda said with sarcasm.

"Isn't it." Logan said to her with a grin. "Are ya scared?"

She gave him an odd look and said, "No. But I do admit that it makes me feel like I'm in a scary movie."

"Me too." Said Jean with unease. "I mean, I know this isn't real, but it sure as hell looks and feels real."

Scott gazed at her. "All of the things we do are that way."

"It's good though, right?" Warren said.

Logan nodded. "Sure is. It prepares us for the real world. I try to make these as realistic as possible. And anything's possible when you're a mutant."

Piotr didn't say anything. It was mostly for lack of words. Also he was tuning in to the environment. Finally he said upon seeing something move from within the old building, "I think something's about to happen."

"Alright. Look alive, runts." Logan said gruffly.

Right after he spoke at least a dozen spherical objects came flying out of windows and doorways. As they came closer to them they realized that spikes were on the things. That was definitely the worst for that particular session.

Everyone stood their ground and prepared to ward them off. Scott blasted them, causing them to blow apart. Two of them hit Piotr but they caused him no pain due to his metal form. Logan slashed at them, cutting them in half. Jean pushed them away telekinetically, which didn't quite destroy them so other teammates would do that part. Wanda used her hexing powers to its fullest. That gave the similar effect to what happened when Scott blasted them. Warren could only dodge them while others destroyed them.

At one point one of the spiked spheres came flying towards Scott's back and the only person available to stop it was Wanda. Right after she blasted it Scott turned around. He wasn't aware of it since he was trying to get rid of ones in front of him.

Scott looked at Wanda briefly. "Thanks." That was all he said but she got the message that he was relieved.

She only nodded and checked for more of those things. But after dealing with them for a good ten or fifteen minutes they managed to eliminate them all. The Danger Room began to change again, this time back to normal. They all seemed to be happy of that.

The team gathered in a circle and Logan spoke. He said, "That was a really good session. I'm happy with all of your efforts. And Wanda, I gotta say I'm surprised at how well you did. Mainly for the fact that you did keep your word on havin' our backs. You just may have what it takes to be one of us." He smiled some. Upon seeing her smile too he added, "But I still don't trust ya completely. You have a long way to go yet."

"Understandable." She said, still slightly smiling.

Scott looked to her. "I have to say that I'm surprised too. And thanks again for having my back. I could have gotten hurt badly."

"You're welcome. " She said back.

After a few more words amongst them Logan spoke up again. "Well, this training session is officially over."

The six of them left the Danger Room and headed off to do something relaxing. Some went to grab something small to eat. After that it was easy to work up an appetite.

* * *

Hours passed by and Bayville High's hallways were filled with students. Since the tickets for the prom went on sale a lot of kids were going to the cafeteria to pick them up. Though many students bought them before lunch because they were getting sold at a table sitting in the hall. Kitty, Rogue and Kurt were among the ones who were buying tickets after school. They just got theirs and were exiting the lunch room.

Kitty thought that Kurt and Rogue had to stay after school for help in one of their classes. She said, "Well, I guess I'll see you two later."

"Yeah. I'm not sure what time though." Rogue said back.

Kurt said, "Me neither. But do me a favor, Kitty."

"What's that?"

"Try to catch up with some of the others. I really don't feel comfortable with you walking alone." He was worried about her getting hurt by any enemy, mutant or human.

Kitty smiled. "Already taken care of. I'll be walking with most of the students that go to the mansion. I told them we were getting prom tickets. Then I'd meet them outside."

Kurt smiled back. Rogue also looked happier knowing that. "Good." She said.

"Like I'm not crazy enough to walk alone in this world anymore." Kitty told them.

They parted and Kitty ran to meet the others. Once she was gone Rogue and Kurt waited for a little while before heading out. They wanted to be sure that no one saw them leave or anything.

When about ten minutes went by Kurt looked at Rogue, kind of anxiously. He wasn't sure what to feel though. "I think we should go now."

Rogue took in a deep breath. "Yeah. Maybe."

They began to walk towards the doors. As they came closer they saw that most of the kids were indeed gone. Neither of them could see anyone who lived with them. The coast was clear.

"Here we go." Said Kurt. He opened the door and walked through.

"And I'm so thrilled." Rogue said with sheer sarcasm as she followed behind him.

He gazed at her. "Try not to act like that. Please."

Her eyes met with his. "I'll try. But I can't promise ya that everything will be fine and dandy."

"I know you can't. It depends on how she acts." He told her. He had this feeling that all wasn't going to be well. Not the whole time at least.

Rogue and Kurt were now walking through the parking lot. It didn't take long for them to see a woman standing by her car waiting. He wasn't positive who it was, but he had a pretty good idea. Rogue automatically recognized it to be Mystique.

She said to Kurt, "That's her."

"I thought so." He responded. He felt nervous. Probably because he wasn't certain how things would turn out. He still had a feeling that something would go down. He only hoped that the shape-shifter was sincere about wanting to get closer to them and become a family. If not then he was entirely done with her. You can only do so much.

Mystique noticed them walking towards her, slowly. "Kurt, Rogue, I didn't think you were coming. You're late."

Kurt looked at her. "We wanted to make sure we weren't seen. You know how it could be if the wrong person saw us."

"What's it to them if you want to see your own mother?" Mystique said, not hiding the irritableness.

Rogue already seemed annoyed. "They're our friends and they have every right ta be worried about us."

Mystique turned her eyes to Rogue. "Yes, but they would have no right to try and stop either of you from meeting with me."

Rogue replied, "No, they wouldn't." That was all she said.

Kurt placed his arm around Rogue and squeezed her shoulder. He whispered, "You're doing well, sis."

"Thanks, bro." She grinned slightly.

Mystique moved closer to them. She reached out and placed her hands on Kurt's shoulders. "I'm glad you made it." She went towards Rogue and said, "You too, Rogue." But when Mystique tried to place her hands on Rogue's shoulders Rogue moved away.

The shape-shifter gave her an exasperated look. However, she refused to allow Rogue to ruin that afternoon. "Well . . . why don't we get in the car and we can go have dinner." She addd, "Is my apartment okay?"

Kurt said, "Yeah, that sounds nice."

"It doesn't matter." Rogue said trying not to sound too sour.

Soon the three were in the car. Kurt sat up front, of course, and Rogue sat in the back. In no time Mystique pulled out of the parking space and drove on to the main street. It wouldn't take too long for her to arrive at her place.

As Mystique drove she couldn't help but ask, "So, how was school? Is it going well?"

Before Kurt answered Rogue retorted, "What's it ta you?"

Mystique scowled but brushed it off. However, Kurt glanced back and flashed Rogue an irritated look that pretty much spoke for itself. He turned his attention to his mother.

"It's okay. The prom's coming up." That's all he could really think of.

"Is it now? Is there anyone special you'll be escorting?" She tried to carry on with the conversation.

Kurt blushed some when he thought of Kitty. "Well, Kitty, Rogue and I are going as friends - basically."

He left out the fact that Remy was actually taking Rogue. Even if Rogue had known he would have kept that quiet. Mystique already hated the idea of Rogue being around Remy the way she was.

"I see." She didn't know what more to say from that.

"It'll be fun, I'm sure." He told her. "How about it, Rogue?" He wanted to include her in this too whether she liked it or not.

Rogue cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah, fun-fun." She sounded just as sarcastic as usual. Then she added, "I just can't wait to finish my last year. Then I'm done with that hellhole"

The shape-shifter decided to try another line. "School hasn't been good to either of you, has it?"

Rogue answered first. "Not really." She wanted to say "Why do ya care? You weren't exactly good to us". But she forced herself to hold back for Kurt's sake mostly.

As they talked here and there fifteen minutes passed and Mystique pulled up to a very nice apartment complex. It looked expensive and it probably was. She turned off her car. "Well, here we are."

They all got out of the car. Rogue and Kurt followed Mystique up some stairs until they came to a door. Soon she unlocked the door and they all stepped inside. The shape-shifter shut the door and locked it back up. She never left her door unlocked.

Automatically they could smell food. It smelt like chicken. Apparently it was already done and kept in the oven to stay warm.

Rogue and Kurt glanced around the place. It was beautiful. They both had to admit that their mother did well with finding a nice place and being on her own again. If she really was alone. Right now they weren't certain of anything.

Mystique shifted back into her original form. "Go ahead and take a seat." She gestured toward the living-room. "I'll be back with you once everything is ready. Then we can eat and talk." She hoped at least.

Mystique didn't seem extremely happy, but then again she never did. The truth was that she was happy. She finally had both of her children with her. Kurt wouldn't be as hard to convince, however she knew he wasn't going to fall for anything. On the other hand, Rogue was going to be a challenge. She only hoped that within time she could prove to them both that she wants to change.

While Mystique was in the kitchen preparing everything Rogue and Kurt sat in the living-room side-by-side on a couch. They were nervous and it was probably noticeable.

"I'm hungry. I hope it's done soon." Kurt said trying to act as normal as he could.

Rogue was too but she felt odd eating there. Although she would. "You're always hungry." She said.

"I know. But it was hours since lunch."

"Yeah."

Kurt could see that Rogue was even more nervous than he was. She was more than likely afraid something would go down badly. He felt that way somewhat. Though he said, "Rogue, we'll be fine. Just think before you speak." He advised.

"Easier said than done. With her I have no idea what will happen. And how do ya know we'll be fine? I don't trust her one bit."

"I won't argue there. But so far so good." He responded.

Rogue bit her lip. "Ya know, we've only been here for about ten minutes as of now. Things could change."

Kurt stared at her momentarily then he said, "Please stop being so pessimistic. Let's just wait and see what happens before we make any judgement. Okay, sis?"

Rogue sighed. She knew he was right. "O.K. But let me remind ya of this, if she makes one wrong move we are out. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it." He answered. He loved Rogue but sometimes she needed to chill out some. However he could see her point.

Rogue and Kurt fell silent and glanced around the room. After a few minutes Rogue noticed that on the coffee table sat a photo album. She looked to her brother.

"Hey, Kurt. Look at this. I wonder what pictures are in it?"

"I have no idea. But I think we shouldn't be nosey." He told her.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just curious if she has any of us in there. I mean, it can't be too personal. She left it in plain view for cryin' out loud."

He wanted to know as much as she did. They both peeked around to see if they saw any sign of Mystique returning to the living-room. Once they thought it was clear Rogue reached for it. As she started to open the album they both heard a voice and jumped. It was obviously Mystique.

The shape-shifter did not seem upset that they were about to peek inside, however she was a little disappointed. "I was going to say that dinner is ready. But it looks as though you've found something to occupy yourselves." She had her hands on her hips.

Rogue hurried up and placed the album back on the table. Kurt looked nervous again. The siblings gazed quickly at one another then to their mother.

Kurt said, "Sorry, Mother. We were just curious."

"I forgot to put that away. It's more my fault." She told him.

Rogue looked at Mystique. "What if we would have saw inside it?"

"I don't know. That's something I'd rather keep to myself."

"Are there pictures of us in there?" Rogue blurted out. She wanted to know because if Mystique did have pictures of her and Kurt in that photo album than maybe she really did care about them.

Mystique focused her eyes on Rogue and took in a deep breath. "Yes. I've had pictures of you both from years ago up until recently. Don't ask me how I got them. I just have them." She then said, "Are you two ready to eat?"

They both said yes. Although, Kurt was more enthusiastic about it. He sure had an appetite.

Rogue and Kurt followed the shape-shifter into the kitchen. It was a nice size; not too big and not too small. And it was an eat-in kitchen.

Mystique told then to get what they wanted, food and drinks, and take a seat. After they helped themselves they sat down like she told them, side-by-side. Shortly afterward Mystique had a plate of food and something to drink. She then seated herself across the table from them.

For a time no one spoke. Mystique really wanted to get closer to them, but that would be impossible if they didn't converse. So she broke the silence.

"How is it?" That was all she could think of saying.

"Good." Rogue said, truthfully. She had to admit that.

Kurt smiled, "Delicious. But I love food."

Mystique thought for a bit then said, "Well, to be honest I really didn't make this myself."

They looked at her oddly. Neither of them figured she was much of cook. But it was still really good. They were used to everything being fresh, for the most part. If Ororo was doing the cooking it was the best. Not that others couldn't cook. As long as Kitty never attempted any meals they were happy.

Kurt said, "It tastes home-made. So I thought maybe you did make this."

"No, I bought an already prepared chicken and stuck it in the oven to keep it warm. And the rest was from cans. I only heated this up." She admitted.

"Still, it's great." Kurt said as he ate.

"You'd eat anything." Rogue picked on him. That's one thing they did no matter what.

Their mother gazed at Rogue. "Do you really like it though?"

"I'm eatin' it, ain't I?" She still couldn't deny that it was good. Even if it wasn't home-made.

The shape-shifter couldn't help but smile slightly. So far things were going fairly well. There was still tension in the air though. Most of that revolved around Rogue and Mystique, for Kurt seemed okay now. He wasn't going to straight up and trust his mother, however he felt less awkward at the moment.

Dinner finally ended. None of them carried much of a conversation, but that could have been because they were eating. Mystique hoped that they'd stay a little longer so they could have a better talk. She wanted them around so badly, she just didn't know how to prove it. She was never good with feelings and things along those lines.

Mystique directed Rogue and Kurt back in to the living-room. They took the seat on the couch that they had before and she sat across from them on a chair. The only thing that separated them was the coffee table.

_"Where do I start?"_ she thought. As before, silence filled the air. The three of them sat in complete silence for minutes at a time. Finally Rogue broke it.

"So, why did ya want us ta come here? Was it just for dinner, or is there somethin' else?"

It was a simple question, but Rogue's tone spoke for itself. "If you did not want to come here you did not have to." Mystique snapped. "So don't ruin this for Kurt."

Kurt looked from his mother to his sister. What he feared may be happening. Rogue responded to the shape-shifter, "It's not that. I just wanna know. Ya claim ya wanna change and that ya wanna be a mother to us."

"And I do."

"I know how ya are though." Rogue told her. "Ya love ta mess with people. You've done it ta me."

Mystique felt agitated. "Rogue, this is the respect I get for inviting you here for dinner?"

Rogue stared at her briefly. "It's not that I don't appreciate that. I just don't trust ya."

"Then don't trust me. But if this is ever going to get anywhere you're going to have to learn to." Mystique retorted with tension in her voice.

Kurt tried to change the subject. "So . . . is there anything for dessert?"

Rogue and Mystique turned their attention to him and both gave odd expressions. "What? I was only wondering." He said, feeling that awkwardness again.

The shape-shifter studied him for a few seconds. "I haven't planned anything." She said.

"That's fine. I'm actually still stuffed." He stated.

Rogue gave him an odd look. "Then why'd ya mention it?"

"I don't know."

After more silence Mystique spoke again. She so wanted this to go well. "I've taken notice that you have a new member."

Kurt said, "Yeah. She seems to be okay. She isn't too bad."

"Remember, she is Magneto's daughter though." She mentioned.

"She's nothing like him. Or her brother." Kurt explained.

She gazed at her son. "I really don't know much about her so I can't judge her. Just don't get too close to her."

"Why?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Before Mystique answer Rogue said, "'Cause she wants ta boss you around too. She thinks she can tell us who we can hang around."

"Rogue, enough!" Mystique snapped. On a calmer note she added, "It's not like that, and you know it."

"Yeah, maybe she's just worried about us, sis." Kurt said, trying to clear the air of the negative energy.

"All of a sudden she cares who we hang out with. What's it to her?" She was so full of anger still and it was hard for little things to not set her off.

Mystique stood up and walked over to Rogue. "Listen now and listen good. I've always cared about you and Kurt. If not he would have been dead, most likely. And you would have been on the streets. You both know your story now. He knows I had no choice but to give him away. I secretly checked in on him for a long time to make sure he was definitely safe with those people. When I knew he was I moved on. And you, Rogue. You had a home and everything. Some aren't even that fortunate. So stop acting like a ungrateful little bitch."

She realized after it was too late that she may have pushed too far with the last line. But she was pissed off at Rogue. She didn't understand how messed up her daughter was.

Rogue stood up and faced her. "I knew this was a big mistake. I only came for Kurt 'cause I don't trust ya one bit." She was mostly right. However, Rogue even wanted to patch things up with Mystique. Now she wasn't so sure it was plausible.

"Really? Well then you know where the door is. And if you're going to be like this, don't ever come back." Mystique scolded.

Rogue was so upset that her eyes swelled with tears. "Fine! You're not my real mama anyway."

Mystique grabbed Rogue harshly by the shoulders. "Then Kurt is not your brother!"

She trembled at those words. "Yes he is."

Rogue then pulled out of the shape-shifters' grip and ran for the door. "I'm sorry, Kurt. I'll wait for ya outside."

Kurt couldn't help but be in shock. He watched and heard everything that had been said. He knew something would happen. But he didn't think it would be this bad. Rogue left the apartment in tears.

"Mother. How could you say those things to her?" He was upset with his mother.

Mystique's expression changed from anger to sorrow. "I'm sorry. She just kept pushing my buttons."

"Still, you had not right to call her that. And then say I'm not her brother. No matter what, she's my sister." Kurt said. He was really upset, yet he kept his cool even though he felt like crying himself.

His mother didn't know what to say. Again she allowed her anger to get to her. She knew Rogue was a complicated individual. And that was partially her own doing. She wished she would have kept quiet and just left Rogue ramble on. Life's about living and learning. So she knows she must hold her tongue at times if she wants this to ever go well.

"Kurt . . . I never meant for it to come to this." Mystique said fighting back feelings. There was no way she was going to let loose in front of anyone.

He could see that she was truly sorry for how things turned out. "I know. But Rogue had a tough life. I did too, but . . . I don't know."

Mystique bent down and picked up the photo album. She opened it and took out something. "Here. These are notes I had written. One's for you and the other's for Rogue. Please read yours and make sure she reads hers. I meant to give them to you both long ago. I just never knew how. I believe now is the perfect time to do so."

Kurt took them from her. "Thanks."

She looked into his eyes. "I want this to work. I have a lot to learn, it seems, about being a mother."

He wanted to hug her but instead he said, "Maybe. But this is something hard and it will take time."

"Yes." Was all she could get out.

"Well Mother, I better go and find Rogue."

"Do you want a ride?" She asked.

"We'll be fine. I doubt she'd want one from you at this moment." He told her.

Mystique nodded. "Well, I hope we can try this another time."

"Me too."

With that all said, he took one last look at his mother and headed for the door. She so wanted to grab him and pull him into an embrace, but she brushed it aside. Once he was out Mystique dropped onto the couch. The photo album fell open on her lap revealing pictures of her children. She glanced at it then quickly closed it. Once she put it back on to the coffee table she placed her hands over her face. Everything she's held in for so long came out. She sobbed to herself.

* * *

Kurt caught up with Rogue who was sitting on the curb outside of the building. Upon seeing her he knew for sure that she had been crying. He sat down beside her and placed his arm around her shoulders.

"Rogue. Are you okay?" He asked with concern.

She tried to hide her face and chocked back a sob. But he already knew. "Do I look like I'm O.K.?" She sounded just the way she looked.

"Not really." He said.

"Well, I'm not." She retorted. "Who the hell does she think she is?! She had no right ta say that ta me."

Kurt knew Rogue had a right to vent. So he offered support but left her go. She'd eventually calm enough that he could talk to her better.

She looked at him. "I'm not an ungrateful little bitch." She was fuming. "I may be a bitch, but I appreciate everything people have done for me. But what has she done for me, except fuck my life up more?!"

He turned so that he could look at her better. "I know that didn't go well, sis. But we didn't come here expecting everything to be perfect anyway."

"I know. And I knew there'd be friction between her and I. I just didn't think it would get that bad." She wiped her face with her hands. Even though she was mad she was also sad. Words hurt worse than actions sometimes.

"I didn't think it would get that bad either. I had a feeling there would be some kind of falling out. But she got out-of-hand." He tried to comfort her by squeezing her shoulder. "Rogue, don't let her get to you."

"Easy for you ta say. She didn't use ya for your powers." Rogue snapped.

Kurt said, "No, but she wasn't the best mother to me either."

"No she wasn't." She knew he was right.

Kurt didn't know what to say at that point. Rogue leaned over towards him and hugged him. "I'm sorry for lashin' out."

"It's fine." He told her.

She said, "No matter what she says, ya are my brother and ya always will be."

He put his arms around her and hugged her back. "Ditto."

They sat there for a little bit. Rogue noticed that she's become so much more emotional. She didn't understand why. Maybe it was because she just couldn't hold everything in anymore.

Kurt said, "Well, we had better get back home."

"Are ya gonna teleport us?" She asked. At that time she wanted to get away from that area as fast as possible.

"Actually, I'd rather walk some first." He told her. He felt kind of nervous by what he had to tell her.

They stood up and Rogue gazed at him. "Why?"

He pulled something out of his pocket. She could see that it was folded paper that appeared to be notes. And there were two of them.

He gazed back. "This is for you. After you ran out I got upset at her with what she said to you. While you may have triggered it she had no right to call you that name. She clearly doesn't understand. But she pulled these from the photo album. She said it explains everything and that she meant to give these to us years ago."

They walked beside one another slowly. Then they crossed a street and started walking on the sidewalk again.

There weren't any words for a brief time.

Rogue didn't know what to think, though she finally said, "So, instead of talkin' to us she writes us notes." Some of the irritation was coming back.

Kurt shrugged. "You know she's not one for this kind of stuff. Maybe it was easier to get things out this way."

Either way Rogue took the note from her brother. "Maybe."

She was about to open her note but Kurt stopped her. "Let's wait until we get home. We can read them together. After we do we can talk it over, if you want."

Even though she was curious about what was on the paper she agreed to wait. "O.K."

Rogue and Kurt both saw that it was starting to get dark. They never thought before at how they would explain getting home that late and not being hungry. Fortunately, Mystique was able to hide her scent somehow. They remembered how she'd disguised herself as Professor Xavier and even Logan couldn't tell. However, they knew that sooner or later they'd have to spill the beans.

Kurt checked their surroundings and it was clear. He looked at Rogue. "Now I'll teleport us."

Rogue nodded and held on to him. In seconds they were at the mansion. Automatically they saw Remy sitting on the steps right outside the doors. He was staring in to space.

"Remy." Rogue said as they got closer.

He snapped out of it. "Rogue." He saw that her eyes were bloodshot and her makeup was slightly smeared. "You O.K., cherie?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry ta do this to ya, but Kurt and I are gonna head upstairs. There's somemthin' we have ta do. I'll give ya tha details later. I promise."

He figured it was something to deal with Mystique. "Sure, Remy understands."

Rogue gave him a hug and a kiss, which he returned. "I thought ya would."

Kurt looked at him. "How's the others? Do they expect anything?" He whispered.

"Non. But they will when they see that you ain't havin' anyt'ing t' eat." He answered Kurt.

Rogue said, "We'll have some later. We'll tell 'em that we have somethin' ta do first."

Remy nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

With all of that said Rogue and Kurt headed in. Remy followed behind them. Once inside the siblings went straight for the stairs. Now they ran in to someone else.

"Hey . . . Stripes, Elf, where ya off to? I thought you two would be starvin' by now?" Logan said in his gruff voice.

They looked at one another and Rogue said, "Oh, yeah. We are, but we have some reading we have ta do. We'll eat afterwards."

He eyed them suspiciously. "Can't ya eat first then read?"

Kurt responded, "We could, but this is really important."

"Besides, what's it matter ta you what we do?" Rogue was still in a testy mood. For the most part she could stay cool, but Logan got under her skin at the moment.

Logan stared at her. "What's your problem?"

"That's my business. Ya don't see me pushin' you ta share things you don't want to." She spit out.

Logan almost stepped forward because she was ticking him off. Before he could Remy jumped in front of him. "Jus' let 'em go."

Logan didn't like that Remy got in his way, though he backed down. wasn't too shocked by her attitude. "O.K. then, " was all he said after that.

As they continued up the stairs Logan stared at them and tilted his head to one side slightly. He said quietly to himself, "Somethin's up with those two."

Logan gave Remy a weird look and then walked away. Remy stood at the bottom of the stairs for about a minute then he left the area. He knew that this secret that Rogue and Kurt had wouldn't stay in the dark too much longer.

In a couple of minutes Rogue and Kurt were upstairs. They went right to his room since he had his own. Once inside Kurt shut his door. He sat down on the edge of his bed while Rogue sat in the chair at his desk.

They pulled the notes out and looked at one another. Both felt nervous to read what Mystique wrote to them. Nevertheless, they knew they had to. And they wanted to as well.

Rogue said, "It's now or never."

"Yeah, let's get this over with." Kurt said back.

They both opened up their notes and began to read. The notes weren't majorly long. But they covered the basics.

Kurt's read: _Kurt, I know you know me. But you don't know that I am your mother. I'm sorry that I gave you up the way I did. If I had a choice I wouldn't have. But I made sure you were with good people. Still it hurt me and it hurts me now that I had to leave you with strangers. I know the years have passed by and you are no longer a little boy, you are now a young man. I also apologize for not writing this sooner. I'd talk in person or on the phone, but I find this way much easier. Anyway, now that you know that I'm your mother allow me to tell you who you father is. His name is Azazel and he's the reason you have your teleporting powers and the cause for you demon-like appearance; your coloring is most likely due to me. I might as well just tell you all that I can. Your father caught my eye easily. Even though I had been married to someone else I ended up having an affair. I wanted a child and my husband was unable to produce children, so that was partially the reason. I never knew how badly things would turn out. I ended up pregnant and I was, at the time, happy. My husband was suspicious however, and who could blame him. He had no idea who I really was. But when it was time to give birth everything changed from bad to worse. See, you came out blue and fuzzy and through the birth I was unable to keep my disguise up. Everyone knew then what I was and they wanted to kill us both. I had no choice but to get away. I went to Magneto thinking he would help, not realizing that he would only make matters worse for us. Finally I did they only thing I could do to save you. I know it sounds cruel, but I was scared for the both of us. I dropped you in to a river in a wicker basket and you floated away. I did follow you and watch you. It was so unbearable to her your cries. Luckily it didn't take long for you to be found. And as I stated in the beginning of this, I made sure they were good people. Even after they took you in I kept watching, secretly checking up on you. If anything ever happened to you I could never forgive myself. To this day I keep watching you. I know you have joined the X-Men, my enemies, but you're still my son. And I hope to get closer to you someday. Now, I have one more thing to say before I close ... you have a sister. I adopted a little girl years ago. She was all alone at the tender age of four. I haven't exactly done well with her though. She doesn't know who I am for I had a dear friend help raise her. She's only seen me in disguise. But you know your sister already because she too is an X-Man. Only she just recently joined. Her name is Rogue. I want to actually talk to you at some point. So I hope you can forgive me._

_Well, Kurt, that is all that I can say at this time. Hopefully it clears up some things. Again, I'm sorry. _

_Your mother, Mystique_

While Kurt read his note Rogue read her own. Rogue's read: _Rogue, you know me. However you have no idea who I really am to you. Believe it or not, I'm your mother. Only through adoption but it still counts. After you left to join the X-Men I knew that I messed up with you and figured that I had better come clean. I want to tell you all that I can about the past you do not know. I know very little myself. But I was able to find out that your mother was a wonderful woman and she didn't really want to give you away. On the other hand, your father was abusive to her, even when she was pregnant. She was lucky that she even got to give birth to you. After you were born she decided to place you up for adoption because she knew that he would hurt you as well. You were in an orphanage for a while, and not a nice one as I recall. I found you when you were four. It seemed as though you ran away from the orphanage. I was going to just take you back but it was then that I realized that you fit the description. To be honest, it wasn't by coincidence that I adopted you. Before I adopted you I knew you'd have mutant powers at some point. Agatha informed me of that. She was the one who gave me the information on you. Evidently, you were not actually born with the white stripes in you hair; they formed when you were around a year old. She doesn't know if it's got anything to do with you mutation or not. I knew I couldn't be there for you completely with all of the craziness going on with me. That's why I left you with Irene, who pretty much raised you, as you know. She was a dear friend of mine and she was the only person that I trusted with my own life. So I knew you'd be safe with her. You also deserved a great home. Furthermore, I know I'm not the greatest person on the planet. And I feel you've already slipped away from me before I got to know you. I would like to be here for you, but you make things complicated. I can't say I blame you though. Right now, I do not know what else to write because I know very little about your life before I adopted you. But before I close, there is one more thing you must know ... you do have a brother, but not biologically. And you know him already, for he is part of the X-Men; his name is Kurt. I hope you will one day forgive me for all of the wrongs I've done. I'm far from perfect, but I want to get to know you more._

_Rogue, that would be all for now. I hope this helped you, if only a little. I am sorry for everything I've done. I just want you to know that._

_Your mother, Mystique_

After reading the notes they just sat still and thought about them. It was a lot to take in. Rogue's had less information than Kurt's but that because there was less to know about her. Mystique was around in the beginning with Kurt. Rogue's past was sort of blurry. Mystique knew only what she had wrote.

Kurt looked over to his sister. "So, wanna switch notes?"

Rogue gazed back. "I suppose so. It would help us if we want to discuss it."

Upon that they switched and began to read each others' note. The notes were obviously not recent. Mystique wrote them and didn't really know how to go about giving them to her kids.

When they finished reading the notes they looked at each other. Rogue handed Kurt his note back and he handed hers back. For some time all they could do was stare at one another.

Rogue was the first to speak. "I can't believe this." She said softly.

Kurt said, "Me neither." He then added, "I mean, I believe what she wrote to us, somehow. It certainly makes sense."

"But, why not give these to us sooner. It would have helped for us ta know this two years ago." She stated. Even after reading the notes she felt the same way about Mystique. But that was natural.

"I don't know. Perhaps she didn't know how."

"She could have mailed the damn things." She told him.

Kurt thought about it. "True. I'm not sure then. It's Mystique. She's unpredictable."

"That's for sure."

"So, what do you think about these?" He asked her.

She sighed. "Kurt, ta be honest, I really can't say. I'm still angry with her."

Kurt looked at his sister. "I believe it to all be true. I just don't know what to really think."

Rogue got up from the chair and came over to sit with him on the bed. "She's your real mother, so it'll be easier for you ta get close. Don't hold back how ya truly feel 'cause of me."

"I'm not. Yeah, she is my biological mother, but . . . I don't know. She's so tricky." He said.

They were both disoriented. Rogue was way more skeptical then Kurt. But that's how she is. Time could eventually change her feelings for the shape-shifter. For now she was in a state of confusion. Mystique wronged her greatly. Kurt would surely come around sooner than Rogue. He's more forgiving though. Either way, it will all take time.

Rogue said, "Well, why don't we just talk more about this later."

Kurt replied, "Okay. We can go and have something to eat then."

"That's what I was thinkin'. Are ya a mind reader now?" She had to joke. A moment like this called for some humor.

Luckily Kurt understood and he grinned. "Nope. I guess we've just become so close."

Rogue smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "Let's get down there, fur-ball."

The siblings left the room and made their way downstairs. They weren't all that hungry since they've already eaten. But they would be able to have some food.

* * *

At the Brotherhood house things were getting crazy. Now that Magneto took it all over it was causing chaos between the members. Ever since Wanda ran off he's been formulating a plan to get her back. He want to release a surprise attack on the X-Men. All he must do is put the plan together more efficiently.

Right now Magneto is at the house, along with his main crew. He wants to inform them of his ideas. This just had to work.

After he explained to them all his plan Lance looked right at him. He said, "So, we're supposed to _attack_ the X-Men and _force_ Wanda to rejoin you? That's insane!"

Magneto glared at him. "Is it now? What's insane is that _my_ daughter joined up with my enemies. I will get her back no matter what means I have to take."

Pietro supported his fathers' plan, but he didn't understand it. "Father, why make her if she doesn't want to?"

"Because she belongs with me, not with those homo sapien loving fools!" He was enraged.

Pietro put his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay. Just trying to make a point."

John said, "When exactly are we gonna do this? I'm all fired up, mate."

"Not yet. It's too soon. I still need to work this out more thoroughly. I only wanted to inform you all of my intentions." Magneto stated sternly.

Lance was irritated by all of this. While he wasn't all goody-goody, he still didn't want to be all bad. "This is stupid. She doesn't want to be with you."

"Young man, are you defying me?" Magneto asked menacingly.

"Maybe I am. I'm tired of being someone's puppet."

With a smug expression Pietro said, "He's gone too soft. I think he still cares about that X-Man, Shadowcat."

Lance scowled at him. "We're only friends now. But yeah, I do care about her. Gotta a problem with it?"

"Not really. Though that's one flaw in being part of the Brotherhood, you can't like the X-Men."

"Go screw yourself." Lance retorted.

Pietro just kept his smug expression and looked to his father. "Well, such a tempter."

Magneto spoke to Lance again. "Pietro is right."

"Oh, is he? Then, tell me this . . . if Professor X were ever in need of your help, would you help him?" Lance was pretty slick with throwing that question at Magneto. He knew that he and Charles were once close friends.

All eyes were on Magneto. He didn't know how to reply to that, for it was a difficult question. He feared the answer would have to be yes. Times like that had already came in to play.

Finally he said, "Only in a life or death situation. Or if there were an occasion where I'd have to team up with him to defeat a bigger cause."

Right away Lance said, "So, you care about his well-being?"

"I suppose I do. But that is not the point here. My relationship with Xavier goes way back. Even though we're enemies we still feel compassion for one another." Magneto answered, only trying to get his own point across.

"That's all I needed to hear. You're a hypocrite."

Magneto was getting furious. "Listen here boy, you have no right to disrespect me or my ways. When you've been around as long as I have_ then_ you have the right to do so."

"Whatever. This is all bullshit." Lance stated.

"If you do not like it then leave! I'm not keeping you by force." Magneto roared.

"Fine!" Lance yelled.

Fred raised an eyebrow and said mockingly, "What, you gonna try to join those X-Geeks again?"

"No! I'm just not going to take part in this insanity any longer. I'm outta I'm not returning." Lance went upstairs and grabbed the few things he could call his own and stormed out of the house.

"Well, anyone else want to be a hero?" Magneto said. "Speak up now and get the hell out. I don't need weaklings in my Brotherhood."

Todd felt nervous around Magneto, but most would. He never stood up for himself much. At this point he wasn't going to speak for only himself, but for Wanda too. "Me, but I wouldn't go as far to say I wanna be a hero." He said.

"You. So you want to argue my authority as well?" Magneto said threateningly.

"Yep. I don't think you should make Wanda come back. As much as I'd want her to. I refuse to attack with her being there."

Magneto glared at him. "Wanda will be safe. We won't be harming her in anyway."

"You're gonna force her to join with you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that harmful to her. She left for a reason, yo."

John grinned. "Since when does Toad get a backbone?"

The others laughed. He wasn't dishonest because Todd was usually kind of a wimp when it came to standing up to higher authorities. Now he's putting his foot down.

"When Wanda's involved. I'll do anything for her." Todd replied.

"Dude, she's never going to like you." Pietro said harshly.

Todd looked down at the floor. "I know that. Still, I'm not gonna help harm her. I'm tired of being told what to do."

Magneto said, "All I need to know is are you in or out?"

"I'm out." Todd answered. He kept stern.

Magneto's stare shot dangers at him. "Then leave and never come back!"

Todd took that as a cue to get out. He didn't even go for his stuff. All he did was get away as quickly as possible. He was hoping to catch up with Lance. As much as they didn't get along, they may have to now.

The master of magnetism was disgusted by those two. "I hope the rest of you are with me. I'll need you if we're to win. And desperate times call for desperate measures."

They all nodded. The ones who remained were die-hard members. Nothing, aside from death, would take them out of the Brotherhood.

"What imbeciles." Sabretooth commented with a vicious grin.

"At least they're not joing the X-Men though." Said Pietro.

Magneto said, "I certainly hope not. I've already lost Colossus, Gambit and my own daughter to them. Those two will be sorry if they do join."

"They sure will." Pietro agreed.

Sabretooth grinned wickedly. "And when we attack, Wolverine is mine."

"Knock yourself out." John told him.

Magneto scanned the remainder of the Brotherhood. "I could care less who takes on who, as long as Wanda comes back. In one piece."

"We won't fail you." Fred pledged.

"You had better not." Magneto then added, "Once I have more details and a time I will reveal the rest. As for now, Blob, you might as well come back to my headquarters. There's no point in staying here "

He nodded. If he stayed behind he'd be the only one at the house. He went up to collect his belongings and he met back up with the others. Shortly after that they all made there way outside. Then Magneto transported himself along with the other in large, metallic orbs. Luckily Fred fit, but Magneto had to enlarge one. John and Pietro had to share one because there were only four. Mastermind already knew of the plan and chose to stay behind at Magneto's headquarters. In a matter of mere seconds they were out of site.

* * *

Later at the institute all was calm, for the most part. Logan was in his room, for some time, sitting on his bed. Ever since the little scene with Rogue he's been confused. Lately she wasn't that irritable. He knew something was going on. He just didn't know what. But he knew he had to find out. And soon.

Ororo stopped by and knocked on his door, even though it wasn't closed. "May I come in? Or would you rather be alone?"

Logan gazed at her and half-smiled. "You can come in, darlin'."

"Is there something on your mind?" She asked as she walked over and sat beside him.

"Kinda. It's about Rogue. And Kurt. She got pretty nasty with me was O.K. But Rogue . . . I have no idea what her problem was. She doesn't snap at me like that much these days." He explained.

She placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "It is Rogue you're talking about. She's not the most predictable person. Perhaps she had a bad day at school."

He shook his head. "I don't think that's it. She's left me overly suspicious. Somethin' ain't right."

"Did Kurt act oddly?"

"Not so much. But I know that whatever's goin' on here, they're in it together. If they would've stayed after school for some help they would've been home sooner. It just doesn't add up."

Ororo looked at Logan and put her hand under his chin, turning his face to hers. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"I hope so, but I doubt it." He stared into her blue eyes.

She leaned over and kissed him. He returned the move and placed his arms around her. Soon her arms were around his neck. The couple kissed passionately, but tenderly, for minutes at a time.

When they pulled apart Logan said, "Since you're already in my room and on my bed, why don't we rock it?" He grinned.

She swat him playfully. "The door is wide open."

"So, we can give one damn good sex education lesson." He smirked more.

She shook her head and smiled. "You are unbelievable."

"I know. But all joking aside, I'm not really in the mood anyways."

She cocked an eyebrow. "You not in the mood. That's a first." She tried to make him feel more at ease.

He couldn't help but smirk again. "Sure is strange. This Rogue thing's just botherin' me." He was still very protective of Rogue and feeling that something is wrong worried him.

"Do you mind if I stay?" She asked.

"Why not?" Logan said.

Ororo said, "However, I am going to close the door." With that she created a small breeze that gently pushed the door shut.

After that they laid back on the bed and held each other. They loved to make love and even get wild, but sometimes it was nice to just hold each other and talk.

A couple of minutes passed in silence, then Ororo questioned, "Are you going to talk to Rogue and Kurt. Or are you just going to wait until they either say something or you find out on your own."

That was a good question and Logan had to contemplate it. "Well . . . I'm not one to start conversations. So, I suppose I'll just wait. Unless I find out for myself."

"Hm. If you decide to find out how would you go about with it?" She asked as she traced her fingers over his chest and arms.

"How else? Spy."

"On your own team-members?! That's not appropriate." She said sounding shocked.

He grinned and let out a little chuckle. "Is there another way?"

"Oh, I don't know. Spying is a bit low though."

"Yeah. But it would get the job done." He stated. "I have experience in it so they wouldn't even know."

"True. But if they ever _did_find out it would make Rogue, and perhaps even Kurt, quite angry with you." Ororo pointed out.

Logan said, "Maybe I should just lay back and wait then."

"Good choice. Since talking isn't your thing." She said. He still seemed upset. "Don't let this get to you."

"I'm tryin' not to." He said back. Then he added, "If something doesn't come in the open soon I'm goin' to have to try and figure this out though."

She nodded. "Well, if it comes down to that then if I can be of any help let me know." She wanted to know what was up too. So if he needed assistance she'd be there.

"Thanks."

"No problem, my love."

They lay there wrapped up in one anothers' arms. Not many words were exchanged. But from time to time they would stare into each others eyes and share a kiss. Logan was glad that Ororo showed up because his mind didn't stay on what Rogue and Kurt were up to.

* * *

Most of the residents at the institute were asleep or at least in bed by now. Ororo remained with Logan. Jean and Scott were in her room. They couldn't seem to stay apart at night anymore. Rogue snuck over to Remy's room, but at this point neither of them cared if they were caught sleeping in the same bed.

In Jean's room Scott and her were just laying in each others arms. Jean felt a little bad that she was hiding something from Scott, even if it wasn't about herself. She had this vibe that he may know she's doing so because he's been acting a bit different.

Jean's vibe was right. Scott had a feeling she was keeping something from him. Their mental bond told much.

He decided to ask her a question. "Hey, Jean." He said softly.

"Yeah." She said just as softly.

"Uh, is there anything on your mind?" He hoped to sound subtle.

She didn't know how to respond at first. Finally she said, "No." But her answer seemed distant and it wasn't like her to keep things from him.

"Jean, I know you're hiding something." He said. "What I don't know is why?"

She sighed, "Look, Scott, it's nothing about us. Rest assured. I made a promise that I wouldn't tell anyone and I keep my promises. You know that."

"Yes, you are a loyal friend. But if it's something dangerous or crazy you shouldn't hold it back." He told her.

Even though the secret she was keeping could be dangerous, crazy or both she said, "It's not. If it gets that way then I'll tell you. Okay, honey?" She moved so that she could face him.

He stared in to her green eyes. "Alright." He kissed her gently and pulled her close. After the kiss ended he asked, "Can you tell me who it's about at least?"

"Sorry, but no."

"You're so lucky I love you." He smiled. He still didn't like that she was holding something back, but he figured he'd probably do the same thing. He kissed her again.

"The thing is that I only know due to my telepathy. Professor X knows this also for the same reason. Neither of us found out on purpose. If not for our powers, we wouldn't even know." She explained.

Scott gazed at her. "Telepaths. Is there anything they don't know?" He teased.

Jean said with a smile, "There is. Only if someone's thoughts are too loud we pick up on them. Easily."

"What am I thinking now?"

She smiled and rolled over on top of him. They began to make out. It wasn't too heated because they knew they'd have to be up early. They told the Professor that they would help teach the following morning. There were only two students, Laura and Jamie, however that could be like having many students.

After light making out they pulled away and just held one another again. Jean nuzzled her head in to the crook of Scott's neck. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, baby." He replied and he stroked her long, red hair until they drifted off to sleep. Which didn't take much time.

* * *

Over in Remy's room he and Rogue were laying together on his bed. She was on her right side propped up on her elbow and he was on his left side propped up on his elbow. They were staring in to each others eyes.

"_Cherie_, are you stayin' with moi t'night?"

She bit her lip. "Gee, I don't know."

"No need t' play hard t' get, Remy already got you?" He flashed his trademark smirk and moved closer to her.

"Ya got a point there, swamp rat."

"Sure do, river rat." He then reached over and grabbed her side.

It tickled and Rogue giggled, breaking the quietness. "Remy, it's late. Some may be asleep." She was afraid of waking anyone up.

"I know. I jus' couldn't resist." He then added, "Is that what you're wearin' t' bed?"

She looked down at her PJs which consisted of a green tank top with black pants. "Yeah."

"Oh. I thought maybe you'd wear somethin' more sexy." He said smirking and winking at her.

"Like what? I don't have any sexy nighties." She stated.

He smirked even more. "Your birthday suit'll do fine, _mon amour_."

She smacked him on the arm. "I don't think so, Cajun."

"Why not? I'll wear mine too." He only had black PJ pants on.

She laughed. "No. What we're wearin' is fine. B'sides, we're only goin' ta sleep."

"I'm jus' pickin' on you."

"Ya better be." She slid close to him and pecked him on the lips. "Goodnight, sugar."

"That ain't a goodnight kiss." He said.

Remy pulled Rogue in to a tight embrace and pressed his lips to hers. She returned his move, occasionally raking her fingers through his hair. He slipped his tongue in her mouth and she followed that move as well. Their tongues danced together for minutes at a time.

He moved back. "Now _that_was a goodnight kiss, _mon chere_." He said with a husky voice that would have made her knees give if she was standing.

She remained speachless for a while. "It sure was." She stared deeply in to his red and black eyes. Soon afterwards she laid her head on his bare chest.

He kissed the top of her head. "_Bonne nuit_."

"Mm-hm." She was already dozing off.

A few minutes later before falling to sleep himself Remy said, "Remy loves you, _maintenant et toujours_."

He then slipped off to sleep. Rogue and Remy were wrapped up in one anothers arms. And they didn't care if they were caught in the morning. They didn't do anything wrong.

* * *

Wanda was the downstairs still. She had much on her mind about everything. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep quite yet. She decided to go to the kitchen for something to drink. When she turned on the light she jumped. Sitting at the table was Laura, as if she were sitting there waiting to scare her.

"Laura! What are you doing?" She exclaimed.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Laura said with a coldness in her voice. She had not one ounce of trust for Wanda, just like Logan.

Wanda walked over to the fridge and got out a bottle of water. "I can't sleep."

"You never even tried. I should know since we share a room."

"I know I won't be able to. I'm sure trouble with sleeping is something you can relate to me with." Wanda said.

Laura scowled. "Maybe, but for different reasons."

"Still . . . ."

"Still what?" Laura said not taking her eyes off of Wanda.

Wanda was getting upset and irritated. "You weren't the only one here who's been through hell. I was locked up most of my life too."

Laura glared at her. "I was locked up my _entire_ life. Until I escaped. While you may have had it hard, at least you weren't stripped of your humanity and forced to kill." She said harshly. She then went on. "Also, you weren't created to be used as a weapon. You have no idea what any of that is like."

Wanda didn't know how to respond to that. She remained silent. She knew that there was nothing she could say that would be able to top what Laura said.

"I'm sorry, Laura." Wanda finally said.

"Don't be. I don't need anyone to pity me." Said Laura. Her voice remained harsh.

Wanda was lost with what to say. She felt that no matter what she said to that girl she'd turn it around. But she couldn't really blame her. She too was bitter, not as much now as she was. However, at least she had a semi-normal life.

Minutes passed and Wanda got tired of the silence. And the looks that Laura gave her. "I know you don't like me. I just hope that with us sharing a room we can become closer. At least enough that we're not in these kinds of situations." She did want that, for she didn't want to feel like an enemy forever.

"I don't know if I like you. I don't even know you."

"Then don't judge me."

Laura's expression softened, but only a bit. "Wanda, I'm not trying to." That was all she could say.

Wanda only nodded. She didn't feel like dragging it out any further. She hoped that Laura wouldn't either.

Laura didn't trust Wanda. And even though she didn't want to be as harsh or judgemental, she came off that way. She was still learning what it was like to be a teenager. Everything was overly hard for her. She's much better than she was when she first stepped foot on the grounds, but there's still lots to work on.

Kurt walked in to the kitchen. He noticed the kitchen light was on, so he headed towards it. He came downstairs because he tried to fall asleep for hours and he couldn't. Seeing Mystique made his mind go crazy with thoughts. He knew he'd meet with her again, with or without Rogue. He had to learn more about his past. If she would tell him all she knew.

Upon seeing Kurt, Laura stood up. "See ya, Wanda."

When she walked past Kurt she said in a whisper, "Make sure she comes upstairs. I don't trust her down her alone."

He nodded. "Okay."

Once Laura left the room Kurt continued on further. Wanda seated herself in one of the chairs and placed her bottle of water on the table. Kurt didn't get anything to drink. He just walked over and sat in a chair across from her.

"So . . . you can't sleep either, I assume." Wanda said to him. Then she opened the bottle, took a sip and put it back down.

"I have lots on my mind." Kurt replied.

She sighed, "I know the feeling." She had a trace of concern in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I'm not sure. I am glad to be here and all that. I just have a bad feeling that my father's up to something. I know he's going to try to get me back. And I think he won't care who he hurts in the progress." She explained.

He looked straight across the table and into her eyes. He could tell she was truly worried about that happening. "I wish I could tell you you're wrong. But I can't. Magneto isn't one to let things rest."

"Tell me about it. But I refuse to rejoin his demented team. I've had enough of it. I'd sooner lick a cactus." The last part was dramatic, but it proved she never wanted to be on Magneto's side again. Not that she was ever fully on his side to begin with.

Kurt gave her a look. "Ouch. But that may be better than going back there." He grinned.

Wanda shook her head and grinned back. "Probably."

For a few seconds they just smiled. They only had a little time alone and they were already connecting some. Of course they both had parents that weren't so great. But Kurt's view on his mother may be changing. If she is truly changing herself.

She looked at the clock. "It is getting quite late. Maybe I should head up and try to get some sleep." She stood up and picked up her water. She didn't want to go any further in to the conversation at the moment.

"Yeah." He said.

"I'm not trying to cut you short, so you know."

"No, I understand. It is late. I should try to sleep myself." He told her. He actually felt relieved that it didn't go too deep. He wasn't ready to share his feelings about Mystique at that time. Especially to someone he barely knew.

They walked beside each other out of the kitchen. Kurt switched the light off and they headed towards the stairs. He then thought of something. It may sound odd, but he really felt some connection to her.

"Wanda. If you ever need someone to talk to don't be afraid to come to me."

She gave him a weird look. "Really?"

"Of course." He answered.

"Okay. I suppose you could talk to me too, but you have many others you could go to. One's you know better and trust."

At the top of the stairs they stopped walking and faced one another. They wore awkward expressions. It was an awkward situation though.

"That's true. But some things I may feel better talking to you about. Like things that involve parents." He told her. When he was ready he did want to talk to her about things along those lines. It was something they could both relate to.

"Why wouldn't you go to Rogue for that?" She questioned.

"She's hard to talk to about certain things. That being one of them." He said.

Wanda nodded and said, "Then if you do happen to need someone, if only to sit down and listen, you know where I'm at."

Kurt smiled. "Thanks."

"See you in the morning." She said.

"Yep. Goodnight." He said back.

With that all said they turned and went separate ways. That night may lead to a close friendship between them two. Or even more. It would make sense.

* * *

Translations:

_Bonne nuit - _Goodnight

_Maintenant et toujours_ - Now and forever

* * *

_Well, I hope you all enjoyed this:) Again, I know it took a while. But I finally finished it:) Anyway, you know what to do:) Please review; I'd really appreciate it:) Another big thanks to Slickboy444 for the help:) You rock!!! Thanks for everyones support too:) Until the next time, take care:)_


	16. Prom Night and More

**Chapter Fifteen**

A couple of days have passed by fairly quick. Within those days nothing out of the ordinary occurred. However, everything wasn't positive the entire time. It never is.

Jean and Scott spent as much time together as they possibly could. Which was a good deal of time considering that she was out of school for the summer. The only thing they had to do was help out with the students and odd and end things around the mansion.

Rogue and Remy were together a good bit. She's been sleeping over in his room more often. They haven't done anything major, still. But even at that, if Logan, or Laura, knew they'd get the third degree. Rogue was nervous about the prom though. And so was Remy. She still has no idea that he's taking her. Kitty's been talking about it even more so now that it's so close. It's driving Rogue crazy.

Kurt has been excited about the prom too, but he's got a ton of other stuff on his mind as well. He's been thinking about giving his mother a call to see if he can meet her again. When he does go he plans to go alone. He doesn't trust her completely, though he also doesn't feel she's going to hurt him or Rogue. He would really like to learn more about his father. And lately, he and Wanda have been hanging around each other. Everyone seem to find it a little curious, nevertheless, they did not interfere. Jean and Charles understand their connection due to their psychic abilities. Rogue isn't too happy about it because she's worried that Wanda will hurt her brother. So she's keeping close watch . . . when she can.

Ororo and Logan have spent some quality time together as well. They've included Laura as much as they could. They want her to feel what it's like to have a real family. So far it's been doing wonders. Laura's still not the happiest or nicest person, but she's a lot better by far. She's not as cold, to most people. The only thing that is causing any issues now is that Logan can't figure out what Rogue and Kurt are hiding. He knows he won't be able to lay low much longer. If they don't come out with it he'll just have to do some spying and find out. He doesn't like to do that, especially to his own team-members. But he wants to make sure that nothing dangerous is happening. He's protective over Rogue, and even the others. If anything bad happened to any of them he's afraid he'd surely gut the person who did it.

The younger students were the same; crazy teenagers. Sometimes it irritated the older ones. Tabitha never found it old to play pranks on her fellow team-mates by using her little explosives. She just has to be careful to whom she pranks. Some will be more agitated than others. All in all, things haven't changed within the days that passed.

It's now Friday morning. The students that attend high school were getting ready. And some were all ready to go. With the weekend coming there was excitement. Plus the fact that by every day that unwound at this point led closer to summer vacation. For Rogue, graduation and no more Bayville High.

At the moment Rogue and Kitty were in their room. They had eaten and were upstairs making sure they had everything for the day. Kitty was driving Rogue nuts.

"The prom is tonight!" Kitty exclaimed.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Really?" She said sarcastically.

"Like, yeah."

"I haven't forgotten, Kit. I mean, ya mention it even in your sleep." She was obviously exaggerating.

Kitty smiled. "I know I'm getting annoying. I'm just so excited."

"I'm more nervous. Even though I don't have ta worry about hurtin' someone by accidentally bumpin' inta them, I still don't like crowds."

"Oh, you'll be fine. You'll be with Kurt and me." She assured her best friend. She was thinking, _"And Remy will be with you too." _

Rogue sighed. "I know. But hey, we better get downstairs. We gotta leave soon."

Kitty nodded. Then her and Rogue left their room. Everyone else was already downstairs at that time.

Some of the students had left for school. The only ones who hadn't left yet were the usual. But this time there was some extra. Jubilee and Bobby were running late because they had been goofing around. They were worried that they'd be late if they didn't rush out the door.

When Kitty and Rogue got downstairs they saw Kurt and Wanda in the foyer area talking. Kitty did not seem to care, but Rogue scowled slightly. However, she didn't say anything at the time. It wasn't that she didn't like Wanda in general. She just did not trust her.

Jean made her way to that area. "You haven't left yet?" She said, referring to Jubilee and Bobby in particular, since they usually always walked.

"No. We were getting ready to head out." Bobby told her.

"Well, I have to go out. So if you'd like a lift I'd be more than happy to give you one." She then added, "If any of you would want to come there's room for two more."

Kitty agreed to go with Jean. Rogue said she'd just take her bike. And Kurt was about to go with Jean too when Rogue asked if he would go with her.

Wanda was still in the area and she had a feeling what was going on. She noticed that Rogue's been keeping watch on her and Kurt. It kind of irritated her. But she left it ride, for now.

Kurt looked at his sister. "Sure. I can go with you." He too had an idea to why she wanted him to go with her. But at this point he didn't know if it was about Mystique or Wanda or both.

"Okay. Kitty, Bobby and Jubilee - you're all with me, right?" Jean asked.

They all nodded. Soon they were off with Jean. Kurt said goodbye to Wanda. He told here he'd talk to her after school until he started to get ready for the prom. He then followed Rogue to the garage to get her bike.

By the time they got there Jean was pulling out. Rogue used this time wisely. She didn't think she'd get to talk to Kurt until they arrived at the high school. But this was better.

"Um, Kurt. I've seen that you've been spendin' a lotta time with Wanda lately." She tried to sound casual because she didn't want to upset him. They've been on a bumpy road at times as it is from issues with their mother.

"Yeah. We just started talking the other night. She was in the kitchen and I came downstairs. The light was on so I thought I'd turn it off. I had no idea anyone was in there. Laura was with her at the time but she left." He explained. He then said, "Is there a problem, sis?"

As Rogue grabbed her helmet and the spare one she said, "I only hope ya don't place too much trust in that girl." She handed him the spare helmet.

"Don't worry. I know. It's just that we share some common ground. And to be honest Rogue, you'd get along well with her too. Take my word."

"What's the common ground? Havin' psychotic parents?" She said sarcastically.

"Actually, yeah." Kurt grinned.

Rogue couldn't help but grin back. "Just be careful. I'm not gonna tell ya who ta hang with and what not. I'd be as bad as Mystique if I did." She placed her helmet on her head.

He put on the spare helmet and said, "If it makes you feel any better, I don't trust her fully yet either. I really don't know her. But what I do know is that she is a lot nicer than she looks and we seem to have connected well."

She said back, "It does make me feel a little better. But I'll still be keepin' check."

Kurt smiled. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

Rogue also smiled. "Good, 'cause ya wouldn't get it any other way."

They both laughed and shared a quick embrace. Then they got on to the bike. In a few seconds or so Rogue revved up the engine and they were off to school.

* * *

Back at the mansion Remy was in Charles Xavier's study. Also in there was Logan. What Remy was there for wasn't secretive. Not to those in the room at least. Professor X just wanted to make sure he still would keep his word on not making a scene and be respectful to Rogue.

Charles' elbows were on his desk and his hands were folded the usual way. "I only want to be certain that you remember everything we discussed before."

"_Oui_, Professor. Remy didn't forget." He felt a slight bit nervous with Logan in the room.

"Good. I do know what many youngsters do on prom night." The Professor said.

Remy didn't know why but he felt awkward at that moment. He grinned and said, "Were you one who fell in that category?"

Xavier wasn't angry at the question and he even smiled as he answered, "No." Then his expression became serious again.

Remy knew this wasn't a joke. On a more serious note he final replied, "I won't do anything unless she wants me to. I never force the _filles_ in t' doin' things."

Whether Rogue wanted to do anything or not Logan still didn't like the idea of something sexual happening. He already knew they had messed around other ways. But going all the way was a huge step. Nonetheless, he stayed silent. He wanted to wait and talk to the Cajun alone.

"I know you're being sincere." Xavier said looking directly in to Remy's eyes.

"Of course I am. But what if somethin' does happen?"

Professor Xavier took in a deep breath and said, "I can't tell you what to do. And I won't. But if it does get that far be sure you have protection. As I've told you before, I see Rogue as if she were my daughter. I feel that way about all of my students. While I'm not a violent person or anything along those lines it still doesn't give the right away to go against my word. I'm sure you won't."

Remy looked him straight in the eyes. "_Non_, I'd never do that. Rest assured, if anything happens I'll have protection. Remy always has that." He smirked and looked over to where Logan was standing. He couldn't resist.

Remy's comment and smirk earned him a scowl and snarl from Logan. Charles picked up on Logan's feelings without even trying. _"I understand how you feel. But do not cause any trouble. Rogue is old enough to make her own decisions."_ He said through his telepathy.

Logan said back by means of his thoughts, _"I'll try to be a good boy, Chuck."_

Xavier smiled. Logan even sounded gruff in his thoughts. He then turned back to Remy. "I must add, if anything would happen please allow Rogue to be the one to initiate it. She could easily be led to temptations due to the fact that she was unable to touch for so long. I want you to be a perfect gentleman, Remy. Can you promise me that?"

Remy looked right in Charles' eyes once more. "You have my word." Normally that would be overly hard for him. But he loved Rogue so much and he was willing to respect her.

"I know I'm asking a lot of you on this night. But it's for Rogue's best interest. And some of it is for mutants in general. I do not want you to forget anything we have discussed today or prior to this day. Be careful." The Professor told him.

"Remy won't let you down."

Charles Xavier smiled again. "I hope not." He then said, "I guess I can say that this conversation is over. Unless you have a question or comment."

Remy nodded. "_Non_. I can't think of nothin' else t' say."

"See you later then."

"_Oui. Au revior_."

Shortly after Remy left Hank entered the study. He had some news for the Professor about the formula he was working on for Scott. They had been trying to find a way to help Scott with his powers like they did for Rogue. Unfortunately, Scott's were much more complex. The reason he couldn't control his powers was due to the plane crash he was in when he was a child.

"Well, I'll let you two geniuses talk all of that mumbo-jumbo crap. See ya later." Logan said and he left the room.

Both Hank and Charles smiled and said goodbye to Logan. Xavier knew Logan was going to interrogate Remy. He only hoped that he wouldn't press Remy's buttons too hard.

Professor X placed his attention on Hank. "So, what's the news?"

Hank came over to Xavier's desk. "I_ think _that I _may_ finally have the serum done correctly."

"Really? So, you have tested it with Scott's DNA to make sure it will work properly?"

"I'm doing that now. I took a sample of his blood this morning. I told him I was just making sure everything was the way it should be. Just like I did when I worked on Rogue's serum."

Charles said, "Do you know long the testing will take?"

"Only around 20 minutes. I want to be certain that it works and that there's not any horrible reactions. That should be plenty enough time." Hank explained. "When the process is complete I would like for you to take a look, if you don't mind doing so."

"Sure. It's always good to have a second evaluation in case one person missed something. A tiny mistake could be a huge problem." Professor X told him.

Hank nodded. "Precisely. That's why I want your opinion." He then went on. "If there are not any glitches I should be able to give him a sample today. Unless you find it too soon."

Xavier thought momentarily. "I don't see any reason why you couldn't. If this serum works you can give it to him. Only, don't tell him exactly what it is until we know it definitely works. Even if there aren't any bad side affects it could still flop and then he'd be very disappointed."

"I've already figured that out. I'm going to do this the same way I did it for Rogue. It's sneaky but we don't want to build up anyone's hopes only to let them down." Hank stated.

"Exactly. Well, why don't we head to the lab." the Professor suggested.

"Certainly."

Once Hank and Charles arrived at the lab they entered the room. Hank shut the door and then made his way towards a table where a microscope and some small dishes were placed. Xavier wheeled himself over to Hank and waited patiently as everything was set up.

Hank put the tested proportion of serum onto a dish and placed a cover over it. Once that was done he stuck it underneath the microscope lense. He also had the microscope set up so that the image was viewable on a monitor. That would make it much more easier for it to be evaluated by him and Xavier at the same time.

"There you go." Hank said after he finished preparing things. "I do not see anything that would cause any problems. But there's always concern that it could still react differently once it's injected. While Rogue had no difficulties, aside from a slight tingly, burning sensation at the injection site, Scott could experience more. And this serum is much more complex."

Professor X was studying the image closely. After a few minutes of thorough evaluation he said, "It does appear to be concrete. But I do believe this is something that may not react the same way once injected. It's never easy doing this line of work."

"No, it isn't. But . . . to be on the safe side, the sample will only last a day. Just like with Rogue. And also like I did with her I created a counteractive serum. If this particular one ends up being harmful then I'll simply inject the other one and all will be well. However, I have great confidence that this will turn out well." Hank explained.

"You've been working on this for quite some time now. But at least you are prepared if something should happen to go amiss." Professor Charles Xavier was optimistic. He had no doubt that this serum Hank created would function properly. Hank has never left him down or anyone down for that matter.

"Yes. Though, I believe to be completely sure, I will retest it. I still have enough of Scott's DNA to do so. Once the second test is final then we will know."

"Good choice. I do not have anything else to do at the moment. So perhaps I'll just remain here." Xavier suggested.

Hank smiled. "I have no problem with some company. Plus you can help and give your opinion on the second test." Hank replied.

"That was my intention."

The two friends smiled. They both had faith that this serum would work. But Science isn't something to mess around with. It's always best to be certain.

* * *

While Professor X and Hank were evaluating the second serum test Logan had caught up with Remy. He stopped him in his tracks just before he entered the kitchen. Logan didn't look happy. He hated that Remy was with Rogue. And even more, he hated that Remy was taking her to the prom. Logan also knew what teenagers often did on those occasions.

Remy stopped and stared Logan in the eye. "What's up?"

Logan glared at him. "You know perfectly well what's up. I have some things to say, even though the Professor gave you boundaries."

"I'm not gonna hurt Rogue."

"Ya better not. I don't wanna find out that she did somethin' she wasn't ready for." Logan stated, never taking his eyes off of Remy's.

The Cajun still stared at him. "If she wants t' do somethin' I'm not gonna turn her down."

"Ya sure as hell better be positive that she wants it. She may say she does and then regret it later."

"_Oui_, Remy know that."

Logan still wasn't letting up. "I don't like this."

"Too bad. We're together an' I'm takin' her. There's nothin' you can do or say t' stop _moi_ either." He was about to leave it at that.

Remy knew he got a bit cocky. Perhaps too cocky. But he was getting sick of Logan's interrogations. He loved that Logan wanted to protect Rogue. He just wished he could be more like Xavier. That wouldn't be Logan though. Plus he can't read minds.

Apparently that line pushed Logan for he grabbed Remy by the shirt and lifted him off of the ground. He then shoved him against the wall. "Listen up punk! I don't care who ya think you are, but I don't put up with mouthiness. I swear, if ya hurt her in any way you won't ever be feelin' anything in a certain part of your body again." With his free hand Logan popped out his claws and pointed them towards Remy's crotch.

Remy tensed some. Still he couldn't resist making a smart comment. "Is that a promise or a threat, _mes ami_?"

Logan let go of Remy's shirt, causing him to drop harshly. Remy groaned and glared at Logan. "That is a promise, Gumbo. And I never break my promises."

With that said, Logan turned and walked away. Remy had no intentions of hurting Rogue . . . ever. He knew not to persuade her in to sexual situations. If Rogue wanted something she would show him or tell him. And he would make sure that she really wanted it before going all the way.

"I'd never dream of hurtin' my _cherie_." He said to himself.

Just then Scott came in to the kitchen. He knew something went down by the expression upon Remy's face. And seeing Logan exit the kitchen gave him a pretty good idea what it was.

"Hey. Is he giving you a hard time again?"

"_Oui_. Frankly, I'm gettin' quite tired of it." Remy stated.

Scott said back, "That's just how Logan is."

Remy sighed. "That I know. But for cryin' out loud, the Prof. isn't even that uptight about this."

"He's a telepath, so he knows what you say is pure." Scott hoped that helped.

"Yeah. Still it pisses me off." He paused and then said, "Whatever. Remy's not gonna let this spoil anything."

Scott smiled. "Good. But I myself want you to be respectful also."

Remy rolled his eyes. "Not you too."

"Rogue's a close friend. I know you've done nothing wrong yet."

The Cajun's asked, "You did take Jean to the prom last year, right?"

"Yep."

"Did Logan give you a interrogation?"

Scott laughed. "Hell yeah. He laid it down straight. Logan said that if Jean and I had sex that it had better be something she wanted. He told me to think with the right head no matter what the other one was telling me."

Remy grinned. "He didn't seem t' be as harsh on you."

"He knew me better. And I didn't have quite the reputation with the ladies." Scott said.

"_Non_." Remy said with a smirk.

"Professor X gave me a one-on-one talk too. But he was more subtle."

Remy thought a little and then he asked, "Is it true that most teens have sex during or after the prom?"

"Yeah. And I for one know first hand the things that happen on nights such as this one." Then Remy's eyes widened. Scott added, "And yes, Jean and I didn't exactly go right home after our prom."

Remy grinned again. "I'm guessin' you used your car."

"You'd be right. But, we didn't go all the way. We did everything but actual intercourse. It was our first time with it though." Scott paused briefly then he went on, "Of course, Logan knew when we got home what we'd done. He didn't know we didn't really have sex. All he could smell was bodily fluids. Luckily, Ororo was talking with him when we arrived. She told him to calm down. They weren't together yet, but she always has a way of handling things. She smiled at us. She didn't care what we did. I mean, it's not like we just met." Scott told him. He added, "Jean didn't want to go the whole way. Her ex was a jerk and he often tried to pressure her. But in what we did do, she made the first move. So, if something does happen be sure Rogue does want it to. I don't think I have to tell you to use protection."

"Oh, don't worry. I will make sure it's what Rogue wants. I've went this long without sex. An' for her I can wait. Don't worry 'bout protection either 'cause you're right. I never do it unless I have it." Remy was still not used to this. But he cared about Rogue so he was willing to make that sacrifice.

Scott looked at him. "You're definitely a different man. It's a good thing." He said, "Well, I better go. I was about to get a drink and go see the Professor and Mr. McCoy."

"O.K. See you 'round."

After that Remy got some coffee and sat at the table to do some thinking. He had a lot running through his head. He hoped that some time to himself would ease some of it.

Scott got a bottle of water and took a few swallows. He waved to Remy and left the room, taking the water with him as he headed down to the lab. He absolutely had no idea to what was going on.

The door was open when he arrived. He saw Xavier and Hank over by an examination table. They both looked happier than usual. He figured they were just going over things that he'd never understand. In some ways he was right.

Hank said to him, "Scott, please close the door. Then come over and take a seat up here." He patted the medical table.

Scott shut the door but said back, "What for? Is there something wrong?"

"No, son. Just come over and sit." Xavier told him in a soothing tone.

Scott did what he was asked. He sat on the table, but nervously. He trusted them both with his life, however this felt plain out weird.

"Now, if you may, lie back and relax. I only want to do a test to check on your mutation. I've performed it on some of the others as well." Hank wasn't lying. He had done similar things. But he needed to remain discrete until they knew the outcome.

Again, Scott did what he was told to do. He laid back and relaxed as much as he could. He then felt something cold and wet being swiped over his inner elbow area. He jerked a little.

"Don't worry. It's just a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol. And to give you a heads up, you'll feel a slight pinch and perhaps some other form of discomfort. But it's only momentarily." Beast explained. He then injected the serum.

Scott tensed up, though he didn't move. Whatever was happening wasn't going to hurt him. He knew that. And in no time it was over.

"There you go." Said Hank and he swiped another moistened cotton ball on Scott's arm over the injection site.

"Can I leave now?"

Professor Xavier smiled but said, "Not yet. Wait a few minutes."

Those minutes seemed to drag and drag. But they finally ended and Scott felt fine. A tiny bit odd, but fine.

"How do you feel?" the Professor asked.

Scott looked from him to Hank and then back to him. "I felt strange. Though that feeling is wearing off. My arm still tingles some."

Hank and Charles glanced at one another and shared a smile. Scott was completely oblivious to what was taking place. He really wanted to know what was so gratifying to them.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but can you please tell me what's going on here?"

"First, remove your glasses." Hank said.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Just do it, Scott." Professor Xavier replied.

He sighed and with hesitation he removed his glasses. He kept his eyes closed out of habit. At this point Scott was beginning to realize what they might have done.

"Open your eyes." Charles encouraged.

Scott slowly opened one eye and when no optical blast came gushing out he opened the other. Then he looked around the room. For the first time in many years he was able to see things in color. He was so used to seeing everything in red. He thought for a second that he was dreaming.

"This can't be real!" He exclaimed. "What happened to my powers?!"

Hank took the opportunity to answer that particular question. "Well, Scott, Charles and I have been working on this for a long, long time now. I did most of the formulating. But together we finally managed to create a serum that will help you control your powers. Just like we did for Rogue. However, yours is much more elaborate. You were unable to control your powers due to the plane crash. Hers are due to an imbalance in her mutant DNA structure. Within time she _may_ be able to control hers on her own. But with you that's nigh impossible without some form of guidance."

"So, how do I use them?" He wasn't used to this. Like Rogue, he now had to actually concentrate to activate his powers.

The others were all too familiar with having to concentrate to use their powers, at this point in there lives. Some were sensitive, like Charles and Jean. Sometimes their telepathy could pick up on someone's thoughts without intentions of doing so. But most mutants had to focus all of the time.

Beast set up a small obstacle so that Scott wouldn't destroy anything in the lab. The obstacle was thick steel. His powers could definitely burst a hole all the way through it. But one or two shots wouldn't do more than put a huge crater in it.

Once it was ready Xavier encouraged him more, "Concentrate, Scott. You can do this."

Scott focused hard, but he couldn't get his powers to function. It would be harder for him, no doubt. He knew that and kept trying. "Dammit." He cursed after a while of no progress.

Hank placed a hand on his shoulder. "Be patient. It'll take some time. And a lot of concentration. Keep trying. I know you can do this."

Scott scowled slightly, mainly for his lack to activate his mutation. He breathed in and out deeply many times. And he clenched his hands in to fists every so often as well. After about a minute of doing all of that he focused as hard as he could. He stared at the steel, wall-like obstacle. To his surprise a blast shot from his eyes. It happened so quickly.

"Wow!" He exclaimed. He was so excited that he got it to work. He smiled.

"Try it again. It should be much easier this time." Professor X assured him.

So Scott did just that. He concentrated hard and sure enough his powers activated, sending an optical blast at the wall. He was extremely thrilled that time around. He jumped off of the table and he actually hugged both Hank and Xavier the way a son would hug his father. It took them off guard, but in a good way. They returned his embrace, of course.

"Oh, thank you both so much!" He was like a little boy at Christmas.

Hank said, "You're welcome. This is only a twenty-four hour sample though. So at ten o'clock tomorrow morning this will wear off."

Scott looked disappointed and his expression changed. He felt as though his heart sank. "Oh."

"But . . ." Xavier picked up on that and quickly added, "We will have more ready soon. And it will be injected once a week."

"Yes. We only wanted to be sure that this would not cause any horrible side effects and that it would indeed work. It proved us right on both topics. We will have no trouble making more. I have the entirety of the formulation written down and placed in my files. Plus it's in the computer system. So you're set, Scott." Hank explained.

Scott's excitement returned. "Great! I can't wait to tell Jean!"

"Why not just show her?" Charles suggested with a friendly smile.

"Good idea." He then said, "I hate to cut you both short, but I'll talk to you later."

Hank said as he was leaving, "Yes. But don't forget . . . this sample wears off approximately at ten o'clock tomorrow morning!"

"I won't forget! Thanks again you guys!" He was gone. He had placed his glasses back on for he wanted to surprise Jean.

Again, Xavier and Beast shared a smile. They were enthusiastic that this turned out well. Of course, after the second evaluation they were positive that the serum wouldn't have any side effects. They just weren't sure if it would work. Scott was down in the lab for nearly twenty minutes, give or take some. So they knew it was fully effective.

* * *

Once Scott left the lab he went to find Jean. She's been back from her errand for about a half hour. So he was lucky to find her in the rec room just sitting down. He walked in the room and moved towards her.

"Oh, hi, Scott." Jean said and she smiled at him.

"Hi, baby. Let's go upstairs." Scott said to her. He then grabbed her hand and pulled her up, gently.

She raised an eyebrow and said, "Why?"

He smiled. "You'll find out when we get up there." He replied.

Jean knew that something was up. Not much can be hidden from her. However, she didn't know what exactly. She just could sense that Scott was overly excited about something.

She did not ask any more questions as they made their way up the stairs and down the hallway to Scott's room. As soon as they were in there he shut the door behind them. He then led Jean over to his bed and asked her to sit down. She sat and he sat beside her.

"Okay, we're alone. So what do you want to do." Jean grinned at him.

Scott grinned back. "Ha, ha. But actually for now I just want to talk to you."

Jean gave him a suspicious look, though she said, "Alright."

But Scott didn't say anything back. He simply removed his glasses. Jean eyes widened. She saw that he opened his eyes and she could see that there weren't any optical blasts. They were so beautiful. All she could do was stare in to them in awe.

He finally said, "You are so gorgeous." He knew she was, but now he could see her in absolute color. He saw how red her hair was and how green her eyes were. She was stunning.

She smiled. "So are you, honey." She was still taken back by seeing his eyes. She couldn't take her eyes off of his and he couldn't take his eyes off of her body.

The couple snapped out of it after a few minutes. It was just something completely new to them. She's never seen his eyes and he's never seen how she really looked.

"So . . . is this what you wanted me to see?" Jean asked, she stared in to his eyes again. "It's amazing."

"Yeah. And I owe it all to Professor X and Mr. McCoy."

She smiled again. "They are so wonderful."

"What? Our mentors or my eyes?" He questioned.

"Both." She replied.

"Well, now that you know . . ." Scott didn't continue his sentence. He only leaned towards her and began to kiss her.

She returned his move. The two got wrapped up in a deep, passionate kiss. This time they didn't care how far it went because they didn't have any other plans at the moment. They had all of the time in the world right now just for one another.

The young lovers moved up further on the bed, never breaking the kiss. Jean laid back and Scott laid down over her. He moved his mouth from hers only to trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck. She let out a small moan and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

As they made out Scott removed her shirt and she removed her bra. He kissed down to her breast and lingered there for a while. Then he went on and kissed down her stomach. Soon her skirt was off as well.

Now that Jean was only in her panties she flipped over so that she was on top of him. She grinned at him and gazed in to his eyes once more before she planted a kiss on his lips. After kissing for a bit she mimicked his previous moves by kissing his neck. But he took off his own shirt for her. She began to kiss his manly chest and she moved down his chiseled abdomen until she reached his pants. She then undid them and slid them down and off.

Jean and Scott were both in their underwear at this time. It was quite obvious that Scott was getting aroused. No doubt about it. He took control again so that she was on her back. He hovered over her briefly before grabbing the sides of her panties and pulling them off of her. He took off his own underwear too. Afterwards, he started to passionately kiss her again. And he repeated his moves prior to this. Only this time he went all the way down to her most sensitive areas and began to orally and manually stimulate her. Jean was moaning softly as he pleasured her.

It didn't take long for her to reach her peek. He allowed her to release. She was going to do the same for him but he didn't want her to. Not this time.

"Are you sure?" She asked him.

"Yes. I want you so bad right now." He said as he eyed her nude form.

Jean smiled. "Okay. But first . . ." She looked at his door and locked it with her telekinesis.

As she did that Scott got a condom and carefully placed it over his erection. "Ready?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Since they were both clearly ready Scott moved over top of her and slowly entered her. This was by far not their first time, but still they liked to start out nice and slow. They always shared such great compassion and that even proved for intimate moments as well.

As Scott made love to Jean he kissed her lips and her neck from time to time. She loved every bit of it and her moans proved it. Fortunately, for their sake, no one was upstairs at that time. Not that they really cared anymore. They were a couple and they were together for a while.

The while time they couldn't stop from staring in to each others eyes. Jean just loved the fact that she could stare in to his eyes. And Scott loved that he could actually see her eyes. So when they weren't kissing they were gazing in to one anothers eyes.

They were going at it for quite some time now and Scott began to speed up. Jean had long began to move with him. They were both feeling so good and he already started to feel his climax. So he slowed down for he didn't want to release yet. She knew why and she didn't protest. But he did stop eventually so they could switch positions, leaving her on top. She was now the one in control and he loved it just as much as she did.

Before Jean began to do her share she kissed Scott. And then she said, "I still can't believe I can see your eyes. They are _so_ amazing. This is _all _so amazing."

Scott smiled. "Yeah, it is. But I'm just as excited about this as you. I can see in color. Your entire body is amazing." He took in the look of her naked form again.

Jean smiled back but said nothing. She slowing lowered herself over his hard on and moved. She continued to stay at a slow, steady pace for a while. But she eventually started to speed up. Every so often Scott would push upward. And every time it made her moan louder. She was breathing heavy and moaning. He was mainly just breathing hard. Now and then he'd let out a sound or two. But soon that would change.

They were still gazing in to each others eyes. But at this position Scott couldn't help but allow his eyes to wander down her body. It didn't bother her at all. Even loved to se his eyes she understood.

After going at it for a bit Jean began to reach her peek. She raked her nails along his bare chest as she felt the sensations build up. Scott had been switching his hands from fondling her breasts to squeezing her hips and butt. She was going crazy. As her orgasm kept building up, Scott felt his start to build. He groaned in pleasure at the feeling. In a matter of seconds she let out a cry of rapture. She felt so good. Though, she was so sensitive from the foreplay and the sex itself that she could barely keep moving. So Scott took over again. This time entering her from behind. He thrust in to her at a fast speed, causing her to literally scream. Even though she was very sensitive she was still loving every bit of it. Though now it didn't take long for him to reach his own climax. He released and waves of sensual feelings washed through his body. He let out his own cry of euphoria.

The young couple flopped down beside one another. They were both sweating and hot. But they didn't care. All they did was smile at each other and cuddle up closely. They shared a kiss and gazed in to each others eyes for a little and then Jean rested her head on Scott's shoulder.

After he caught his breath he said, "That was amazing."

She had caught her breath as well. "I know. And it never gets boring."

"Of course it doesn't., baby. When true love is involved I don't think it ever will."

"That's what we have for sure. I know I don't have to say it, but I love you so much." Jean said.

Scott smiled. "No, you didn't have to because everything you do proves it. I love you too." He couldn't help but say it back.

They've said they loved each other probably millions of times. And even though they both knew how they felt they still said those three words. It's just one of those things that feels good to say.

Some time had passed and Jean and Scott placed their under garments back on. But they left all of the other clothes go for the moment and went back to cuddling. As much as they loved to make love they also loved to just hold one another. And that's exactly what they'd do for as long as they could.

* * *

The day went by swiftly. The school day was already finished so the institute was chaotic. Most were excited that school was nearly over for the summer. Kurt and Kitty were delighted about going to the prom. Rogue was still nervous, but a little excited. She was glad that it was her last year and she'd be graduating the following week. She still had no idea that Remy was taking her. He was thrilled to be escorting her, though he was actually nervous because he's never done anything like it before. Plus, he knew that the principal, along many others, will probably be pushing his buttons all night.

Kitty and Rogue went up to their room to talk about getting ready. But they wouldn't actually start doing anything until after diner, which would be a little earlier due to the prom. Remy and Kurt decided they'd do the same thing.

Kurt was in his room. He wanted to meet with his mother again and he was debating on when. After thinking about it for around ten minutes he figured he'd give her a call. The next day was Saturday and he was hoping she'd be free.

He picked up his bedroom phone and dialed her cell phone number. It rang a bit, but just when he thought she wasn't going to answer and he'd have to leave a message it stopped. He then heard: "Hello."

He didn't hesitate like he did the last time he called her. "Hi, Mother."

"Kurt?" She was happy he had contacted her again. But she didn't think it would be so soon.

"Yeah. Uh, are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon?" He jumped straight to it and asked her.

She thought for a few seconds. Then she said, "No. Why?"

He answered, "I was thinking that maybe I could meet up with you. If that's okay."

She smiled. "Sure. Do you want me to pick you up somewhere and come to my place? Or would you prefer to go elsewhere?"

"I want to go to your place. I have a lot of questions. Ones that others don't need to hear." He stated.

"That's good. We do not need people overhearing anything. I'm sure I know what you'll be asking me about. I take it you read the note." She said.

"Yeah. Rogue read hers too. And we read each others." He told his mother.

Mystique glared slightly at the mention of Rogue. "I see that your sister is still being a stubborn little brat."

Kurt didn't like when the shape-shifter spoke badly of Rogue. Though he said, "She's only unsure about what she wants to do. I'm positive that she'll come around at some point. She needs time. But I need to know more."

His mother smiled about him wanting to know more. However, she was bitter about Rogue. She wanted to get close to her daughter just as much as she wanted to get close to her son, but that would be a huge challenge.

"She's confounded. And disrespectful. So, perhaps it's best that she does not join us this time."

He could hear the coldness in her voice. He said to her, "Mother, she just doesn't trust you yet. It will take a while for her to do so. Please, can we get back to the reason why I called you?"

"Certainly. If you want to see me you can. And since you want to learn more I will tell you all I know." She paused briefly then said, "When and where am I picking you up?"

Kurt had to think. He finally said, "Noon, at the library."

"I will talk to you then, son." She said back.

"Okay. Bye, Mother."

"Goodbye."

Mystique hung up. Again, she wanted to say that she loved him. But as always she couldn't get the words to even form. She hoped that one day she could get it out. Whether she could get those words out or not she was still glad she'd be seeing her son again.

When Kurt hung up he felt happy. He'd soon know more about his past. Even if it wouldn't be everything he'd at least know as much as his mother knew. He just hoped that Rogue would come around. He knew she would sooner or later, but he'd prefer it to be sooner. That was because he wanted to feel like he had a real family.

All he could do was think about his mother. And he hoped to learn about his father. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even realize that someone was at his door.

A voice said, "Kurt. Kurt!"

He jumped. He looked over at his partially open door and said, "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about some things."

It was Wanda. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"No. Just leave the door open." He said.

"Of course. Wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea." She said back.

He grinned. "No, we wouldn't."

She smiled at him. "So, you were talking to Mystique?"

He kind of froze a second. He may actually have a chance at getting close to his mother while she would never have that opportunity with her father.

"It's okay, Kurt." She said upon seeing him freeze up. She could see that he was nervous.

"How did you know who I was talking to?"

"You said, "Bye, Mother". That's a dead giveaway."

He looked at her. "You heard that?"

"Yeah, I did. It's fine though. From what I got out of it, at least she wants to be with you now." Wanda told him.

"Why were you listening in?" Kurt only wanted to know.

She gazed at him and walked over. She pulled out the chair at his desk, turned it around and sat in it. "I knocked and you didn't answer. The door was slightly open so I peeked in. Then I heard the ending of the conversation. Well, your part."

"Oh." Was all he got out.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"No, it's no problem. It's not like you did it on purpose. So, what did you want?"

"You said we could talk after school. We have time before diner and before you get ready for tonight." She replied.

Kurt looked at her. "What if my mother and I get closer? I mean, what brought us together is the fact that our parents are crazy."

Wanda smiled again. "If you and her get closer I'll be happy for you. We can still hang out. Either way, our parents will still be crazy. Your mother will just be more of a mother. Even though that did bring us together, what more can I say about Magneto that you don't already know. I've pretty much spilled my guts to you on him. He's a jerk. Why don't we get to know more about each other now."

He smiled back. "I'm glad you feel that way. I've told you about Mystique too. But she may be changing."

"Just be careful."

"I know. Rogue tells me the same thing. So did Jean, because she found out about Rogue and I going to see her."

"Sometimes telepaths are annoying." She said. Then she went on, "I'm guessing that it didn't go that well."

"Not really. My mother and Rogue don't get along well, at all."

Wanda nodded. "I figured that. And speaking of Rogue, I don't think she cares for us hanging together."

Kurt cocked an eyebrow. "She's just worried about me."

"I understand that. But I wish she'd stop giving me harsh looks." She said to him.

"It's how she is. If it bothers you why not talk to her? Maybe you could work out something." He suggested.

She contemplated it and then said, "Maybe. I'll talk to her tomorrow. I don't want to ruin her special night." Her words had some sarcasm in them.

Kurt shook his head in agreement. "No, you don't."

They both smiled at one another. Wanda and Kurt hung out until diner time. They talked about all kinds of things, but none of it revolved around their parents. At the rate they were going they were getting really close really quick. It was surely a good thing for both of them.

* * *

When dinner was finished it was time for Rogue, Kitty, Kurt and Remy to get ready. Kitty and Kurt were the first to go upstairs. Remy wanted to head upstairs before them so in hopes that Rogue wouldn't see him slip away. But she already noticed that he's been acting kind of off all day. He hated hiding his plan from her, but he would soon feel at ease. In a couple of hours she'd know.

Remy was about to head up to his room when Rogue grabbed his arm. "Is somethin' botherin' ya? You've been weird all day. Especially since I got home from school."

He looked at her. He didn't want to lie, but she'd understand everything later, he hoped. And hopefully she'd also understand why even though everyone else knew, including her best friend and brother, that no one told her.

He smiled at her. "_Chere_, nothin's wrong. I'm jus' a little worried that you won't have a good time without _moi _tonight. An' some of those bullies will probably start somethin' wit' you an' the others."

She stared at him for a few seconds and then replied, "I'll be fine. Kitty'll be there. She has enough excitement for everyone. And Kurt's usually happy too. We can handle those creeps. We have this far. So don't worry, sugar."

Remy smiled again. "I guess I can jus' go t' my room an' wait 'till you're ready then. I can't wait t' see what you look like in your dress." He winked at her.

Rogue rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, you'll see, swamp rat. But I'm sure you're more interested in seein' me without it."

Remy smirked. "Perhaps."

Rogue playfully hit him in the arm and they began to head for the stairs. As they walked up they kept on talking. Remy was still nervous, but he tried harder to conceal it. Rogue's nerves weren't much better. Their feelings are normal though for Remy had never done anything like this before and Rogue isn't usually the dress-up and go out type.

Once they got to the top of the stairs they shared a hug and a kiss and then went their separate ways. The prom started at 8:00PM, still they had lots of time. But it's always better to not have to rush.

Rogue entered hers and Kitty's room. Kitty had her own dress laid out over her bed. Rogue closed the door and decided she should get hers out and have it ready too. Kitty was so excited.

"Yay! It's finally here! So, did you decide? Am I doing your makeup?"

Rogue made a strange face at her room-mate and shook her head in amusement. "I don't know. Only if ya promise ta not make me look like you. No offense, 'cause you're beautiful and all."

"None taken. I know what you meant. No, I won't use any pink. I swear." Kitty promised. She even crossed her heart.

"O.K. Um, are ya gettin' you're hair done professionally? I know I'm not."

Kitty said, "No. Jean's going to do it for me. I'm sure she could do something for you too."

Rogue thought about it. Maybe she should ask for something. How could it hurt to be a little out-of-the-ordinary for one night. "I suppose that wouldn't hurt."

"Well, Jean will be over here soon. Hey, I can do your makeup while she does my hair. I may be done with you before she's done with me, but oh well. It'll save some time." Kitty suggested.

"Sure. Then, when Jean does my hair_ I_ can do _your_ makeup." Rogue said with a grin.

Kitty stared at her. "Uh, I don't know."

"I'm trustin' ya with my face. So why not let me have some fun. I'll make it you, just a little different." Rogue made a pouty face at Kitty.

"Alright. It's only fair. But please don't do anything to bizzare. I'll make you proud so do the same for me." Kitty told Rogue.

Rogue nodded. "Of course. I'm not gonna make ya goth or anything." She grinned. It would be funny to see Kitty in dark makeup.

"You better not, or I'll have to redo your makeup and make it _all_ pink." Kitty laughed at the thought.

"Hell no."

Just then there was a knock at the door. "Girls. May I come in? It's clear out here. So if you're changing no guys will see you." It was obviously Jean.

Both Rogue and Kitty said, "Come in!"

Jean opened the door, went in and then shut it behind her. Kitty had already plugged in her curling iron and it was hot by now. "Are you ready for me yet?"

"Yeah. But wait until Rogue knows what she wants done with her hair."

Jean tilted her head and looked at Kitty then Rogue. "Wait a second. Rogue is going to allow me to do her hair too?" She then smiled.

"Why not? Kitty said you were doing hers and suggested it. I figured, what the hell. It can't hurt. It will cut the time so we can chill before leavin'." Rogue said and then added, "You can do it, can't ya?"

"Yes. I have no problem. What do you want done?"

Rogue had to think. She really didn't want it curled. She knew that Kitty had this really cool waving iron. After thinking for about a minute she said, "Well . . . I don't want curls. And I don't want it up. But, I think I'd like it wavy."

Kitty automatically knew what Rogue was referring to. She went over and got her waving iron set up. "I won't turn it on yet, it would be on too long. But when I finish your makeup you can do it."

Jean was staring at the girls oddly. When they noticed they both said in unison, "What?"

Jean laughed. "Rogue, you're letting Kitty do your makeup?"

"Yep. And I'm doin' hers."

"I'll do Rogue's while you do my hair. And when you do her hair she'll work on mine." Kitty explained.

Jean was shocked. " I never thought I'd see the day."

Rogue said, "We thought it would be easier that way. That also cuts the time we'd be takin' in doin' it ourselves. I want something a tad bit different and so does she. But we'll stick to each others tastes, right Kit?"

"Yeah. You'll love what I do. I hope I love what you do."

"This will be interesting." Jean said. "Okay, now are you ready, Kitty?"

"I am."

Kitty sat in a chair so that Jean could start working on her hair. Rogue grabbed their desk chair and pulled it over. She sat directly in front of Kitty. Jean began her work while Kitty started doing her own. Kitty used some of her own makeup along with Rogue's. She still wanted Rogue to have purple eye shadow, but she wanted it lightened up a little. And Rogue's lips would look different too. Instead of being dark purple or black Kitty used a red color. It still was kind of dark but toned down some. Soon Rogue's face was done. She may have to touch-up her lips before they left. But that was nothing big.

Jean was still working on Kitty's hair. It was almost all up, except for her bangs and some small locks around the sides and back. Jean had curled the hair and pinned in so it looked really cute. And the locks left out were getting curled. There wasn't much left to do.

Rogue turned on the waving iron and then went and looked in the mirror. She was shocked. Kitty did an excellent job. While it wasn't what Rogue would do it still captured some of her taste. The eye shadow was a lighter purple, almost pastel, due to Kitty blending white with it. But Rogue's eyes still stood out. The liner was dark and the mascara was as well. Rogue's lips weren't as dark as usual, but the red was a ruby red. It looked amazing.

Jean glanced up from Kitty's hair to take a look. "Wow. That's really good."

Kitty said, "Thanks. So Rogue, do you like?"

"I do. I actually do." Rogue said with excitement, usually that was rare. "It's so different yet it is me in a way. Thanks for not makin' me all girly."

"You're welcome."

Rogue sat back down and watched Jean finish Kitty's hair. Jean had curled Kitty's bangs too. Her hair looked awesome. No one would even know she didn't go professional. The finishing touch was hair spray and then it was all done.

Kitty got up and looked in the mirror. Her eyes got wide. "Oh my goodness! You should make hairstylist as one of your career options. It's so beautiful!"

Rogue had to admit it. "Yeah, good job, Jean. It looks like she went to get her hair done. Cool."

Jean smiled. "Thank you."

After Kitty was finished with admiring herself her and Rogue switched seats. The curling iron was turned off and unplugged. Now Jean would start working on Rogue's hair while Rogue did Kitty's makeup. Rogue started out with the eyes. She used darker colors than what Kitty would normally use. They were the colors she'd use on herself. However, she only used them on her lids. She placed lighter colors on the brow bone area. When finished it was a smokey eye look. Rogue then moved to Kitty's lips. She kept them simple. She used a pink shade. So the only major difference was Kitty's eyes. They really stood out.

As soon as Rogue said she was done Kitty jumped up to see. She stared in the mirror for a while. "That's too much eye makeup, Rogue."

"Oh, come on. It's not that bad." Rogue said. "But if ya don't really like it you could always change it." Rogue was a little disappointed because she was so hoping that Kitty would love it.

Jean was already done with Rogue's hair. Hair spray was used again to hold the waves in. It was much more simple to just do waves. Plus Rogue wanted her hair down, that also made it easier. Jean looked at Kitty's makeup as Rogue went to take a look at her hair.

"Kitty, listen honey, it doesn't look bad. I'm being sincere. Rogue, did wonderfully." Jean said. She did tell the truth. "Sure, it's different. But Rogue is accepting that you did her makeup. She looks great, but it's not what she would normally do for herself either. Give it try." Jean insisted.

"I don't know. I didn't go too far out of her comfort zone."

Rogue said, "Kit, ya did. This is so much lighter than I'd ever make it. If I can do this so can you."

Jean smiled. She thought it was kind of funny. But they did look great. "Girls, you both look beautiful. And you know you can trust me."

Kitty looked at herself again, closely. After a couple of minutes she said, "Well, okay. I guess it's not all that bad. It does look really good. I'm just not used to it."

Rogue said, "Thank you. And now that that's settled . . . . Jean, I love my hair. I'm used to it bein' straight, but this looks so nice." She really did like her hair. She kept on staring at it. She turned her head and looked at it from different angles.

Kitty said, "Well, now all that's left is getting changed."

"Yeah." Said Rogue.

"I suppose I'll go and let you two finish up." Jean stated.

"You don't have to." Kitty told her.

"No, it's not a problem if you'd like ta stay." Rogue said.

Jean smiled. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. I'm not going to be busy anyway."

"Isn't Scott home?" Kitty questioned with teasingly.

Jean didn't pick up on it right away. "Yeah he's home. Why?" Then after it clicked in her head what Kitty was referring to Jean said smiling, "Oh, shut up. We don't do it _all_ the time." Her cheeks flushed a little.

"Coulda fooled me." Rogue said joking. The girls laughed.

Rogue still had a touch of feelings for Scott. But she had accepted long ago that Jean was his soul mate. And they did look awesome together. Now Rogue had Remy and she understands the crazy-in-love thing. She'd surely go insane if she ever lost him.

While Rogue and Kitty finished getting put together Jean remained in the room. She figured she could give advice if needed. Or she could help in any way.

Meanwhile, Kurt and Remy were pretty much done. They were already dressed. There was now about forty-five minutes left until they had to leave.

Remy stayed in his room. His suite was stunning. The jacket was black, the dress shirt was red and he actually found a tie with an ace of spades on it. The tie, his pants and his shoes were also black. He had pulled his hair back in to a ponytail. But there were some locks that laid around his face.

Kurt looked impressive too. His jacket, pants and shoes were black. His dress shirt was a light blue. And his tie was white. He didn't have his hair back. It has grown more so it would look nice. He was debating with himself whether to put it back or not, but he couldn't decide. He thought he'd go for some help.

Kurt made his way over to Remy's room and knocked on the door. "Hey, are you decent?"

Remy was surprised that Kurt was knocking on his door. "_Oui_. Come on in. Shut the door."

Kurt walked in and shut the door. They both felt oddly from being in a room alone behind closed doors. Kurt figured he'd make it a short visit.

"I have a question." Kurt started then said, "I see that you have done what I was thinking about doing."

Remy gave him an odd expression. "What?"

"You pulled your hair back. Actually that's my question. Should I leave mine the way it is or put it back?"

The Cajun had to think. He always knew how to look good. Kurt looked great, but pulling back his hair may polish the look more.

"Well, you look fine. Though, it would look more ideal. But do what you want." Remy hoped he could help.

"Thanks. I think I'll put it back."

"If any pieces fall out, let them. It looks sexy. The girls love it." Remy gave a tip.

Kurt grinned. "Okay. Thanks again."

"No problem. Remy's glad t' help."

Kurt then left. He closed the door and went back to his own room to put his hair back. Once he did so he was done. He could resist going to see Wanda. He looked downstairs and didn't find her. But he got a lot of "oohing and aahing" from the girls.

Finally he went back upstairs and to hers and Laura's room. Luckily Laura was downstairs. When he got outside of the room the door was open. He still knocked.

Wanda was lying on her bed. She wasn't sleeping so she glanced over to the doorway. When she saw Kurt standing there in a tuxedo she jumped up in to a sitting position.

"Wow. You look nice." She wanted to say it differently, but that was all that she could get out. She's not one for words when it comes to complimenting someone.

"Thanks." He felt nervous and he was sure he was blushing.

Wanda got up and walked over to him. "Your hair is nice too. This whole look is quite put together." She added. And she couldn't keep her eyes off of him.

Kurt knew he was blushing now. "Yeah. Thank you."

"When are you leaving?"

"Soon. I just thought I'd see you first. I wanted to see if you liked it. So I look good?"

She smiled. "Yeah. You got two thumbs up." She felt a bit nervous.

Kurt and Wanda left the room and walked downstairs together. She couldn't get over how he looked. She already felt close to him. He usually looked quite nice. But now he looked amazing and she was finding it hard to keep her eyes off of him.

By this time Rogue and Kitty were downstairs. Kitty's dress was pink, of course. And it was extremely girly with lace here and there. It flowed nearly to the ground. Her shoes were white. She looked astonishing. Rogue's look was darker, obviously. Her dress matched her well. It was mostly black with a green transparent fabric layering over it. The overall fabric was silky and smooth. Her dress was long too. She looked breathtaking.

Everyone stared at them in bewilderment. The girls were gorgious. And Kurt was so handsome. They all looked good before but this made them look even better. Now all they couldn't wait to see was Remy. And soon he'd be strolling down the steps. Rogue was still unaware.

Before anyone could say anything, sure enough, Remy came down the stairs. At first Rogue didn't take notice. But then she saw Jean's and some of the other girls' expressions and turned to face the stairway. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She could not believe what she saw.

Rogue walked over towards the steps and greeted Remy when he reached the bottom. She kept on staring at him. And she didn't know what to say.

Remy grinned. "Surprise, _mon amour_. I'm your date."

She then noticed his eyes. They looked weird. "What happened to your eyes?"

"Oh, the Professor and Beast made these special contacts." He explained.

Rogue was happy, overly so, but she crossed her arms. "Just how long were ya keepin' this from me?"

"A while. Everyone knew 'bout it. Remy wanted you t' be surprised. You ain't mad at _moi_, are you?"

She turned around and glanced at everybody. Most were smiling. "I'm disappointed that my best friend and brother kept this from me." Kitty and Kurt looked worried. Then Rogue added, "But, no, I'm not mad at anyone. I love y'all." She turned back to Remy and hugged him.

He returned the embrace. "You are so _magnifique_."

Everyone talked briefly for a few minutes. By then the limousine was outside of the gates. Professor Xavier was lucky to find a chauffer who wasn't against mutants or afraid to transport them.

Kitty, Rogue, Kurt and Remy said their goodbyes. Logan eyed Remy up. The Cajun glanced over at him and saw the look in his eyes; it was as cold as ice. Remy looked away. Laura wasn't as bad but she wasn't sending him kind vibes either. Everybody else appeared to be fine. However, before they all left the mansion Charles entered Remy's mind.

_"Remy, remember what we discussed. Don't forget any of it. Be a gentleman and don't cause any trouble. I trust you as of now, so do not break that trust. Understand?"_ He wanted to be clear and make sure Remy still kept everything in mind.

Remy answered by means of his thoughts, _"Oui. I promise I will not disrespect Rogue or start anything."_ He was being honest.

_"Good."_ Xavier said back. Then he said aloud, "Have a good night. If there would happen to be any problems, you never know with Principal Kelly, just call and I'll be there."

They all nodded. Though, they all hoped that there wouldn't be any reason to have to call, they knew how the principal was. Remy didn't know first-hand but he soon would get a taste of it. He already didn't like the guy.

Shortly afterwards the four exited the building and made their way out to the limousine. Logan still looked pissed about Remy taking Rogue. But there was nothing he could do about it. Most of the residents went back to their usual duties and what not. Wanda watched through the window until she could no longer see them. She sighed.

At this time the night was just beginning for Rogue, Remy, Kitty and Kurt. But there at the institute it was soon closing for some. Even though it was a Friday night some of them were tired. They figured they'd get the scoop in the morning. Others would wait up. Logan knew he definitely would. Professor X was going to just to see how their night went. And Wanda was going to wait up for Kurt. She really hoped he had a great night.

* * *

The limousine arrived outside of Bayville High. Nearly twenty minutes still remained left until the prom actually started. At this point students were being ticketed. The first two to get out of the limo was Remy and Kurt. Then Remy helped Rogue out and Kurt helped Kitty out. It didn't take them long to make their way up to the front doors of the school. Of course, waiting right outside was Principal Kelly and some other staff members. There were also some security guards. They could have been for anything, but the four mutants stepping forward had a feeling it was due to them.

Upon seeing them the principal scowled and said in a cold tone, "Tickets?"

None of them spoke a single word. They only pulled out their tickets and showed them to him. He nodded with approval. Then he had the guards check them for any kind of weapons. Remy was the main focus though. They took around a minute or so to thoroughly frisk him. When they found nothing, not even playing cards, Principal Kelly gave them permission to step inside of the building. However, he made it clear that if there were any problems that they'd be out in an instant. They all agreed to behave. Kitty, Rogue and Kurt weren't the ones to worry about behavior as much as for Remy. But Remy knew better. He remembered all that he and Charles had discussed numerous times. He knew not to cause any commotions for any kind. And he still kept in mind to respect Rogue.

When they ventured further in to the school Rogue hooked her arm with Remy's. Even though she could touch now she still felt nervous around crowds. That could be an effect that would always hang with her. Kitty decided to imitate Rogue's move by hooking her arm with Kurt's . She didn't want them to get separated. There were tons of students and staff all over the place. And to think that not everyone attending the event didn't even arrive yet. There were still at least fifteen minutes for others to show up. And even later. Some didn't show up on time for anything.

In due time the four found a section of the gymnasium were they could be as far away from the others as possible. They had decided to just stay clear of the other students and what not. They hoped that that would eliminate any problems. Although, they all knew that if someone was going to start something they would regardless of where they located themselves. Bullies, bigots and troublemakers will always find a way.

Ever since they arrived Rogue had noticed that many of the girls were starring at Remy. She wasn't sure why at first, but she thought that maybe it's because of how sexy he looked. _"He's all mine" _she thought. But it didn't' slip her mind that maybe they were only wondering why a man like that was with a girl like her.

Kitty and Kurt were chatting and Remy noticed Rogue's facial expressions. He looked down in to her emerald eyes. "Everything O.K. there, _chere_?" He asked.

She snapped out of her daze and looked back in to his eyes, which were brown due to the contacts. "Yeah. I'm fine. There's just so many damn people here."

Remy grinned and he pulled her close to him. "Don't worry, _mon amour_. As long as you're wit' Remy you'll be alright."

Rogue smiled and leaned in to him. She loved him so much. "I know, Swamp Rat."

After a few moments without any talking Kitty said, "Well, it's almost time!"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Oh, yay."

Kurt laughed. "You don't look too happy, sis."

"I'm happy. I just can't wait ta get this all over with."

"But don't let anything ruin your night. While Kitty and I still have our own senior prom to go to, this is all you get." Kurt pointed out.

Rogue said, "I know. And I'm here ain't I?"

Kurt smiled. "You sure are."

In a while after the music started up they noticed that Principal Kelly was standing not too far from their area. He pretended to not be spying but they all knew otherwise. And knowing he was starring at them was unnerving to say the least. There were plenty of other students there whom could cause a load of trouble. But he chose to keep watch on them. Of course there were other faculty members stationed throughout the entire room. Still, they'd prefer someone else to be supervising them.

Remy didn't know him but he didn't like him. Xavier had filled him in on the way that man is and it didn't sit well. "You know, that principal makes my skin crawl. He may throw me out if I breathe the wrong way. Whatta prick." He commented, but low enough that only Rogue, Kitty and Kurt could hear him.

"Tell me about it. But you don't know the half of it." Kurt said. "He's horrible."

Kitty said, "Yeah, and he actually took trophies away from the school because they were earned by a mutant. Jean won those fair and square. He said she probably cheated or something. He's such a scumbag."

Rogue glared at him briefly but refocused her attention to her little group when she saw him begin to look their way. "As much as I disliked Jean then even I found that wrong. But what can ya do? Thank God that I'm outta here in about a week and a half."

Kitty and Kurt raised their eyebrows at her. As if Kitty read Kurt's mind she said, "Don't rub it in."

"Sorry. At least y'all only have ta put up with this for one more year. Then you both'll be free too." Rogue stated.

Remy looked back and forth to all of them as they spoke. He couldn't agree with much they said because he didn't know of it. He only agreed that the principal was a jerk and he strongly disliked him.

There was more silence between them. They glanced around the crowded gym and saw that they were basically the only ones not dancing yet. Kitty was moving slightly though, because she couldn't stay still while music was playing.

She looked at Kurt and asked, "Do you want to dance?"

He stared at her for a second before responding. He felt nervous, "Sure. Why not."

It was a slow song, so Kitty and Kurt moved closer together. She placed her arms around his neck and he placed his around her waist. They both felt awkward since they were only friends. But honestly that didn't matter. They could still dance. Though it was a bit harder for Kurt since he once had a small crush on her. Nevertheless, he didn't anymore.

Remy and Rogue watched them. Neither Remy nor Rogue were dancers. And when Remy did ever dance with a woman it wasn't the kind of dancing appropriate for a high school prom.

After a few minutes the slow song ended. The one that came on afterwards wasn't exactly fast so Kitty and Kurt remained together. This song caught Rogue's and Remy's attention, however. It was 'The Reason' by 'Hoobastank'. The words fit Remy well. He looked at Rogue and finally managed to ask her to dance.

Before they began to dance he noticed that she looked quite nervous and kind of out of place. "What's the matter, _cherie_? You know that I won't bite. Unless you want me to." He flirted.

She shook her head and smiled at him. "Dancin' was never really my thing."

He smiled back. "Not mine either. But since we're here we might as well do it." He then smirked. "An' later we can do it in a different way." He winked seductively.

She swat him on the arm. "Cajun. What am I gonna do with you?" She grinned at him and pecked him on the lips, but not too quickly. She had a feeling that something else perverted would pop out of his mouth. Her kiss either stopped it or delayed it. But she didn't care. She just wanted to feel his lips against hers. If only for a few seconds.

Then they awkwardly moved together, as close as they could possible get. They mimicked Kurt's and Kitty's moves; Rogue's arms were around Remy's neck but more affectionately and Remy's were around her waist in the same manner.

Rogue and Remy stared in to each others' eyes for a while and then she rested her head on his shoulder as they moved. Surprisingly they did well. It wasn't too hard since they watched Kitty and Kurt.

All the while, Principal Kelly was still keeping his eyes on them. They no longer cared. He wasn't going to ruin their night no matter how much he may have wanted to.

Moments later that song ended and a faster one started. This one was 'Miami' by 'Will Smith'. Kitty and Kurt had no problem dancing to it. But Remy and Rogue had some difficulty. If this was a club Remy would know exactly what to do.

He smirked. "Too bad that principal is watching us like hawks. I know how t' dance to a song like this." He winked at Rogue.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sure ya do."

Kitty and Kurt couldn't help but laugh at them. Kitty looked at Rogue and said, "Hey, would you like some help? I could let you tap in to me some so you can dance better. You know, like I did before."

Rogue thought about it and then said, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. But I don't know with him watching our every move." She pointed at the principal.

"Well, we're girls. We can dance together. He won't know. It'll only take a second."

"O.K. Let's do this then."

The girls moved together and danced. It didn't look unusual at all.

Remy liked seeing them dance. He commented, "That looks kinda hot."

Kurt stared at him and said, "Yeah it would if Rogue wasn't my sister with her."

"She's not by blood." Remy smirked.

"Still . . . I could never look at her that way. Not now."

Remy smiled and patted him on the back. "I was only messin' wit' you anyways."

"I'm glad to know that." Kurt smiled too.

By now some of Kitty's psyche entered Rogue, as expected. Rogue felt strangely but she could dance more smoothly. It felt so different.

Remy said to Kitty when the girls came back to them, "I can't dance either, not the way we have to here at least. Do you have anything for me, _mon amie_?"

Kitty grinned. "No. Sorry. You'll just have to learn on your own."

"Not exactly. I can help him." Rogue said and she gazed at him. She missed looking in to his stunningly hypnotic eyes. But she would get to see them again after the prom.

Rogue smiled and Remy wore his usual smirk.. Kurt shook his head but smiled. Everything was going great. Of course that only meant that something would go downhill at some point. That's what it always meant for them. The problem was that not one of them knew when it would happen nor what or who would cause it. Principal Kelly would surely find a way to stir up some trouble. No doubt about it.

All looked to be going astonishingly well up until there was less than an hour left. Forty-five minutes still remained when Principal Kelly, along with a young woman and young man, came striding over to Kitty, Rogue, Kurt and Remy. He wasn't happy. The look on his face spoke for itself. The boy looked somber and glowered at them, though he didn't say a word. He was one of Duncan Mathews' younger friends, so he could just be stirring up trouble. And the girl only seemed to be worried.

The principal grimaced at them, mostly at Remy. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Kitty, Kurt and Rogue took notice that he was speaking to Remy. But even though Remy knew too that he was the one who the principal sought out he didn't say anything yet. He only stared at him with pure repulsion.

Rogue spoke up. "What is the meaning of what?" She wanted to be rude and harsh but knew better. Some of the things she preferred to say were inappropriate. She was so close to getting out of that living hell and she wasn't about to screw it up now. So she bit her tongue.

Principal Kelly turned his head, glaring at her. "You know perfectly well what I mean!"

Kurt jumped in. "Actually, we don't."

"Yeah. We've been in this area since we've arrived." Kitty added.

Finally Remy said, "_You_ should know that, _Monsieur_ Kelly. You've been _watchin'_ us ever since we arrived." He tried hard to keep his cool for he kept in mind what Professor Xavier had told him.

"_Don't_play games with me, Mr. Lebeau! You know quite well what I'm taking about. You are a master in thievery. So no matter how I watch you I could miss something. These students are missing some valuable items. Things I_ know_ you had to have taken." the Principal said, looking menacingly at him.

Remy's expression never faltered. "With all due respect, I think you're out of your mind."

Rogue stepped in front of Remy before he said something that would truly get them kicked out or worse.

"Principal Kelly, I can assure you that Remy didn't steal anything."

"_You_ can assure me?! That's a laugh." The older man said crudely.

"Listen, _Monsieur_, I did nothin' wrong. " Remy was getting infuriated. Still he held back as much as possible. "Go ahead an search me if you don't believe me."

Principal Kelly pushed Rogue aside and grabbed Remy by the sides of his jacket. "No, _you_ listen, punk. I allowed you to attend this event on the word from Charles Xavier that there would _not_ be any problems. I should have known better than to allow this to take place." He left Remy's jacket go and he stepped back.

Then he did as Remy said, he searched him. The principal went through every pocket. He left not one potential hiding place unchecked. When he finished a thorough search he came out empty handed.

"Well they're not on your person." He still looked angry. "So, where are they?"

Kurt was almost afraid to speak, but he did anyway. "Principal Kelly, sir, have you even checked anywhere else for the missing items? Maybe they misplaced them."

"We don't even know what's missing." Kitty said.

Rogue looked at the principal. "Yeah, why not search first before accusin' someone of stealin'? People misplace things all the time. It's normal."

Under his breath he murmured, "And I'm sure you'd know all about what's normal." Then he said aloud, "Fine. I'll check. But only because I do not want any outrage or chaos in my school. I've had quite enough of that already." He walked away with the two students, but turned back to say, "If I do find that you're all lying then there _will_ be _severe_ consequences to be paid. I can _assure_ you of that."

Once he was out of earshot Kitty said with a glare, "The nerve. That was outrageous." She then placed her hands on her hips.

"Tell me about it." Kurt said and he scowled at the man as he moved further away.

Rogue was pissed. "What the fuck is his problem?" She fumed, but only loud enough for them to hear.

"Remy doesn't know, _mon amour_. Other than the fact he's a lousy mutant hater." He then said, "T' hell with him. Let's jus' have some fun. When he comes back we'll deal with it."

They all agreed with him. They might as well have a good time before they get forced to leave. They only hoped that things would turn out well.

"Remy, ya probably wish ya hadn't came." Rogue said miserably.

He looked in to her eyes and said, "Don't say that, _cherie_. I don't regret it one bit."

She placed her arms around him and embraced him tightly. He returned her gesture. Kitty and Kurt couldn't help but smile. Kurt was still unsure about Remy. But moments like that made him believe that he was indeed the one for Rogue.

In around twenty minutes Principal Kelly flounced back towards them. However, his expression wasn't as harsh as before. He still was frowning and looked angry, but it wasn't as intense. The existing anger may have been because he honestly didn't want them there at all.

He stopped in front of them. "As much as I _despise_ saying this, I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused. The items missing were a gold bracelet and a wallet. The young lady had removed the bracelet in the girls' lavatory when she was going to wash her hands. She simply forgot she left it on the sink. As for the young man, his wallet had slipped out of his pocket when he sat down. All is well. You may resume."

Before they could say anything he strode off. He wasn't happy by far that he had to apologize to them. He even looked revulsive about it. The four didn't care one bit though. All that they cared about was that Principal Kelly had been proved wrong and that they could stay at the prom for the remaining time. It wasn't much but it was still worth staying for those last fifteen minutes.

* * *

The prom had ended and everyone was exiting the school. Kitty, Kurt, Rogue and Remy went to find their limousine. It wasn't long before they found it and got in to it.

Aside from the incident with Principal Kelly the night was amazing. Kitty and Kurt had fun, of course they always seem to. Rogue had more fun than she even could imagine she would have. And Remy did pretty good as well. He seems like one who can have fun no matter what.

They were on the way home. All four couldn't wait to get there either. It was a fun evening, but they were exhausted, for the most part. They all figured that they'd be giving details of the night to their friends.

After moments of silence Remy said, "What are we t' do 'til we get back?"

"I don't know." Kitty responded first.

"Me either. I'm tired." Kurt said.

Rogue answered at last. "It really doesn't matter."

Remy grinned. "Well. Remy can think of many things we could do."

Her eyes widened and she playfully smacked him across the chest. "Stop bein' a perv."

He rubbed his chest and smirked. "Sorry."

"Like if you two do anything tonight, please do it in your room." Kitty said to Remy with a smile.

Kurt didn't even want to think about that. "Can we talk about something that doesn't involve my sister getting intimate?" He was smiling too. But he did not really want to have that kind of conversation.

Everyone laughed or at least smiled. Then they just talked about the prom and all that had happened. Rogue was still in awe. She couldn't believe that she was the only one who had no clue that Remy was escorting her.

In a bit she said, "Remy, take those damn things out." She was referring to the contacts.

"Oh, I forgot I had them in." He removed them, revealing his red and black eyes. The eyes that Rogue was so intrigued by.

Kitty said, "I do admit that you look better with your real eyes."

"Yeah. Those contacts were nice, but it was awkward seeing them."

Remy nodded. "_Oui_. I'm glad I didn't have t' see them. These things are wonderful and comfortable. But I've grown t' really like my natural eyes."

For the rest of the way home they carried on with their conversation. They talked about many different subjects. And in no time at all, or so it seemed, they were at the mansion. It was nearly 10:30PM by the time they exited the limousine and got to the entrance to the institute.

Upon entering the building they didn't notice anyone. But as soon as they made their way from the foyer and towards the rec room they could see that pretty much everybody was either standing or sitting. It was as if they waited to see when they were coming home. The only ones that were not there was Professor X, Ororo, Hank, Warren and Piotr. Evidently they have retired for the night. Logan and Laura stood towards the back of the room, side-by-side. The younger students were scattered around, some sitting on the floor and others sitting on sofas or chairs. Jean, Scott and Wanda were all seated on the furniture; Jean and Scott were beside one another and Wanda sat in a chair, alone.

The first one to speak was Jean. She remembered when her and Scott went to their prom. She basically had to beg him to go because he didn't want to. They went and Principal Kelly watched them like a hunter would watch it's prey. It made them so uncomfortable. Nonetheless, they had a good time despite that. They ignored the principal and only paid attention to the music and each other.

"How was it?" She questioned.

Everyone else's attention was on Rogue, Kitty, Kurt and Remy. It didn't bother Kitty too much, but it made Kurt, Rogue and Remy a bit uneasy. Rogue more than the other two.

Kitty was the first out of that small group to speak up. "Well, all in all, it went well. We only had one incident with Principal Kelly." She smiled and at the mention of their principal she scowled.

Scott narrowed his eyes. "What did that creep do?"

"He accused Remy of stealing a gold bracelet from some girl and a wallet from a boy." Kurt stated.

"And get this, the boy was one of Duncan Mathews' friends." Rogue added with irritation.

Amara replied, "Any of his friends are bad news."

Samual looked at her and he remembered when they were leaving the library and they got attacked. "I agree. They're jerks."

Evan remembered too because he had been the one who helped them get away. Even though it was over a year ago now they all remembered it like it was just yesterday. Evan made an angry face.

"Yeah. Duncan and his crew are nothing but bullies. I hope one day they get a taste of their own medicine." He made fists.

Since rejoining with the X-Men Evan managed to control his powers again. Only with much help by Professor Xavier. It took a lot of concentration and practice. He still has to see him from time to time. But once again he can look like an ordinary person. Although, he can now form his body back in to that particular outer bone structure. It's a highly painful process. And he still has a more aggressive nature to him. Evan returned because he really missed his aunt. She doesn't have much family, aside from those of the institute and they weren't blood. But in spite of the fact that he resides at the mansion once more he said he'd still keep in contact with the Morlocks. If they'd ever need him he'd help. They were his family too.

There was a long pause. But everyone who knew Duncan and his friends agreed with Evan. A few minutes later Tabitha broke the silence.

"Hey, I'm surprised that you two are home so early." She said to Rogue and Remy.

They knew what she was referring to. Rogue blushed some while Remy smirked. No one, except for Logan and Laura, appeared to have a problem with the comment. Scott was neutral about it. He knew that Remy wouldn't force Rogue to do anything. If so he'd have a lot to answer to. Logan still had deep distrust in him. He saw him as a good team-mate, but he didn't like the fact that he and Rogue were getting serious. He was protective over Jean too when her and Scott began to get serious. Though he took more parental control over Rogue. However, he figured that if they do anything there's not one thing he could do. If she chose to on her own will that is. Plus he had more to occupy his mind. Laura was one of the biggest priorities in his life now. He dreaded the day that she would be getting sexual with a boy. He wasn't so sure when that would occur. He only knew it would someday.

Remy replied, "We thought we'd come home for that."

Rogue swat Remy again. But harder than before. "Swamp rat. Enough already." She wasn't mad but she didn't want him saying that around nearly all of the mansion's residents.

Her rubbed his arm. "Ouch. You hurt me." He smirked. He was thinking: _"Let's go upstairs if you wanna get rough."_

Jean glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. And then she shook her head, smiling. Rogue noticed and figured that his mind was still in the gutter.

Rogue then said, "Is there anything anyone would like ta say? If not I'm goin' upstairs. I wanna get outta this dress." Remy grinned and opened his mouth but she placed her hand over his mouth. "Don't even go there."

Some of the others laughed. No one had anything more to say to them for they had filled in most of the details that mattered. The younger students left the room first.

Before Rogue left she glanced at Kitty. "Are ya comin' up too?"

"Yeah. See you all tomorrow. I want to change as well. And I can't wait to go to bed. I'm beat." Kitty said.

The two girls headed for the stairs. Kurt and Remy remained in the room. The only ones left other than them were Jean, Scott, Wanda, Logan, Laura and Jamie. And Jamie stayed behind and had gone over to where Logan and Laura were. Out of all of the students at the institute he was the one she got the closest to. And vice versa.

"You can chat for a bit, but don't be up too much longer." Logan told them.

"Why? It's not a school night." Laura said back.

Logan looked at her. "It's almost 11:00."

Laura crossed her arms. "I'm not tired and it's not that late." She protested.

Jamie didn't get involved. He only stood there quietly. He was tired but he wanted to hang with her for a little while.

"Laura, don't push my buttons. I know you're still gettin' used to obeying orders like a child is supposed to do. But I won't . . . " He was getting upset and she then cut him off.

"I'm not trying to push any buttons. I'm just not tired. And I don't have to be up early. Plus, I never sleep well. If I go up there now I'll be laying there until at least 3:00 in the morning anyway." She was irritated.

After being at the mansion she had become better with what being a kid was like. But even at that she still acted out like she wasn't from time to time. Of course, when you can't sleep you can't sleep.

Logan wanted to scold her, though he understood where she was coming from. "Fine. But be up in your room by no later than midnight. Understood?"

"Yes." She responded with less attitude.

"Good." Was all he said back.

Laura then looked upset. She didn't like getting angry anymore. Anger and hate used to be the only things she felt. Unfortunately that's how she was due to her secluded life with Hydra. Her face went from angry to sad. Emotions were still new to her, but now she could at least know what she felt to some point. She knew that she didn't feel good about lashing out on Logan. Before he walked away she threw her arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"It's O.K." He said to her. "This is all still knew to you." He then remembered the first time he met her. The time when she embraced him and cried. He felt extremely awkward at that time. He did somewhat now too. But she wasn't crying this time. So it was easier. He simply placed his arms around her and hugged her back.

In a few seconds they separated and he left her and Jamie be. Jamie was relieved that things didn't get to crazy. He knew how it could have went down.

"Sorry about that." Laura said to him.

Jamie smiled at her. "Oh, I'm okay. Logan's not the easiest person to deal with."

"I'm sure that I'm not either." She asserted. When Jamie didn't respond she said, "You can agree. I won't attack you." She then smiled at him. And that was yet another thing that he saw more than anyone else.

"Well, actually - you're so much like him. So, yeah, you can be difficult too." He said and added with a nervous smile, "But it doesn't bother me." At times he felt strangely around her. She was like Logan and that meant that she was unpredictable.

Laura moved closer to him and he flinched. "Jamie, you didn't offend me. You should know by now that I won't harm you."

"Yeah. But I can be a chicken sometimes so anything can frighten me. I'm still afraid of the dark." He joked and then he laughed.

She couldn't help but laugh slightly herself. "You sure are quite cowardly at times. But you do the right thing when you have to. That's all that matters."

They talked for a bit. As the time passed Jamie was getting tired. He wasn't used to being up that late.

"Laura, I think I'm going up to bed. Sorry to cut you short."

She looked at him. "That's fine. I'll be going up to my room soon. First I want a drink of water."

He said, "Good night."

She replied with, "Good night. See you tomorrow." And what she did next was unexpected. She leaned in to him and kissed him on the cheek.

When she moved away she could see that his face was flushed. And she even felt the blood rush to her own checks. For the first time she blushed.

"Yep, see you." He said.

They separated, awkwardly. He went up to his room and she went for the kitchen. The only ones remaining in the rec room were Kurt, Wanda, Jean and Scott. Remy had left to get changed for bed.

The four left in the soon divided down to two. It was almost midnight and Jean and Scott were getting tired themselves. They talked to Kurt and Wanda for a couple more minutes though.

Jean said to Kurt, "So, overall, you all had a good time?"

"Yep. Principal Kelly didn't bring us down."

"That's great. You should never let a person like him damper your mood." She responded.

Scott nodded in agreement. "Man, if you do that you'd never have any damn fun in that school."

Wanda didn't say anything for she had no idea how this principal they spoke of was in person. Although, she already felt that she didn't care much for him. If he was another mutant hater then she had no room for people like that. But she didn't hate ordinary humans either. She didn't want to be anything like Magneto. Whether he had reasons or not, there was no excuse to discriminate the remainder of the human race only because they weren't mutants. She was neutral on the subject. She didn't think that all ordinary people hated mutant kind, but neither did she believe that the two sides would ever become completely allied with one another. Whichever way it would be she still wanted to fight the good fight. She never wanted to be a villain in the first place. At the time she had nowhere else to turn.

Scott said goodnight to both Kurt and Wanda. Jean did the same. But before they left Kurt had to say something.

"Which room are you two staying in tonight?"

Scott cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

Jean just stared at him. She had a feeling where this way going. "Kurt."

"What?"

Scott then caught on. "You've been hanging around Remy a little too much, haven't you?" He was joking.

Kurt grinned. "Maybe."

Jean said, "But to answer your question, we'll be in my room. So you have no worries. You wouldn't either way because I am tired. And so is he. We are actually going to bed."

Kurt said back with a sheepish smile, "I couldn't resist."

Scott then asked with a slight laugh, "When are you all going to stop teasing us?"

"Gee, I don't know. Probably never." He laughed and they all did. Including Wanda.

"Well - we really must be going. See you two in the morning." Jean said.

They all said goodnight and Jean and Scott exited the rec room. Wanda and Kurt were the only two left. They decided to stay a bit longer so they could talk. After all, he had promised to talk to her after the prom.

Wanda and him sat beside each other on the sofa. At first they didn't speak. They had moments like that from time to time.

Finally she said, "I'm glad you had a good time."

"Me too. Thankfully those missing items were found and Remy was cleared." He stated.

"That would have sucked to get kicked out for something that wasn't even done." She said with a scowl. "That Principal Kelly sounds like a major jackass."

Kurt laughed. "He sure is that and much worse. Too bad you and Pietro do not get along. He knows how he is as well."

Wanda's face twisted in anger. "Pietro and Magneto aren't any better than he is. They hate plainly because they can. Only they reside on opposite sides."

"Isn't that the truth. " He agreed.

Just then Logan came back in to the room. "I thought I heard your voices. Why are you still up? It's almost 12:45."

Kurt replied, "Really? Sorry, Logan. We were just talking."

"Well, I suggest that you two head on up to bed. You can talk more on the way up and save the rest for later." Logan told them. "Even Laura's already in bed."

They did as he said. Honestly they didn't even realize how late it was. Once they left the room Logan turned off the light and followed them upstairs.

"Before you go, are you still talking to Rogue tomorrow? I mean, you could do that when I' gone." Kurt said.

"Yeah. Sure. I definitely want to try and clear the air with her and I." Wanda answered.

They then said goodnight and went off to their own rooms. Wanda still felt odd with sharing a room with Laura but it didn't bother her as much anymore. They did their own thing.

As Kurt was getting ready to head to his room Logan stopped him. "Wait a minute, elf. Where are you goin' tomorrow?"

Kurt froze. _"Think fast." _he thought. "Oh, to the library. I want to look up some stuff for school."

Logan didn't really buy his answer. "Are ya sure?" He asked, his voice dripping with suspicion.

"Yeah."

"Alright then." Logan left Kurt go to his room. But the next day he was going to follow him. He had to see what was so secret. First he and Rogue sneak off to somewhere for hours after school. And Rogue was in a pissed off kind of mood when they arrived at the mansion. Now Kurt was planning on going off alone. Logan knew that something was up and he wasn't sitting down this time.

Logan went to his room. He hoped he could get some rest, for the next day may be a busy one. But he knew that would be a struggle. If he got any sleep it would probably only be a few hours, give or take.

* * *

The institute was quiet. Everyone was either asleep or in their bed. Remy felt restless. Lately he and Rogue would sleep together. He used to not even care to sleep with a woman, in a non-sexual way. But he was a changed man. He loved Rogue with ever fiber of his very heart and soul. Without her he felt lonesome. Remy never thought in a billion years that he'd ever feel this way for anyone. Nonetheless, he does.

Once he knew that the place was serene he crept out of his room and towards the girls' dorms. He snuck past many rooms, including Laura's and Wanda's. Just as he was about to enter Kitty's and Rogue's he heard a whisper from behind him. He jumped and cursed to himself. When he turned around he saw Laura with her arms crossed and she didn't look too happy.

"_What_ are you doing?" She abruptly.

Remy stood there speechless for a moment or two. Then he said, "I wasn't goin' t' do anything wrong." He didn't want to make a scene and have Logan show up.

Laura stared at him. "Then _why_ were you about to enter that room? Surely you're up to something, Gumbo." That was a little something she picked up from Logan.

He sighed. "Look, Laura, I only want to hold Rogue. You have t' believe _moi_."

"And just why should I believe you?" She retorted.

"Because, if I wanted to do more I could have done so by now. We've been through this all before. And so have Logan and I." She had caught him sneaking out of Rogue's room before.

She stood there, silently eying him. Finally she said, "Go on. But you better _not_ be lying to me." She emphasized her last sentence by poking him in the chest.

"I'm not. Someday you may understand all of this."

She stared up in to his eyes and then turned and walked back to her room. She truly didn't understand love. Not in it's entirety. She only grasped bits and pieces of it. But before she didn't even know that much.

Remy sighed with relief. He then entered the room and went over to Rogue's bed. She was asleep. _"She looks like an angel." _he thought as he carefully slipped in to the bed with her. He crawled under the covers right behind her and enveloped her in his arms.

Then there was a sleepy voice that said, "Remy? Is that you?"

"_Oui_, _cherie_." He kissed her on the side of the head. "_Bonne nuit_." He whispered in to her ear.

"Mmmhmm." Was all that came from her. But he could see a slight smile on her face. And she entwined her arms with his, holding on to his hands.

Now it would be a good night for sure. It didn't take long for Remy to fall asleep. He was happy with everything. Even though nothing happened. And this time he wasn't going anywhere in the morning. He was staying with her until they were both awake. He knew Kitty wouldn't care. At least he could hope she wouldn't. Either way, he wasn't leaving Rogue.

* * *

I hope you liked that:) Sorry it's been taking me so long to update. I don't have my own computer, so I don't have time to write as often as I'd prefer to. I'll try to update sooner:) I may have to shorten chapters to do so though. Anyway, _please_ leave a review; I'd _really_ appreciate it:) I hope that everything makes sense and falls in to place properly. And I must still send a shout out to Slickboy444!!! Even though he's having a tough time now I still want to acknowledge him:) He's been a great help:) If by any chance you ever read this: Thank you very much for everything:) I'll miss you quite a lot:( And thanks to everyone else who takes interest in my work:) Take care:)


	17. Uncertainty

**Chapter Sixteen**

The next day wasn't much different from any other. It was around 10:00AM and nearly everyone had been up for a while. Most of the residents were going to be hanging around the institute, either inside or outside. But some would be leaving the grounds. Namely Kurt and Logan.

Kurt would be heading out in about an hour to meet Mystique. He told Logan that he was going to the library and he was. That just happened to be the location he was meeting his mother at. Little did he know that Logan would be secretly following him.

Logan knew it would be a hard task because he never knew when Kurt would decide to teleport. But nevertheless, it was something he had to do. He had an idea what may have been going on. If he was right he didn't like it one bit.

At the moment Logan was with Ororo and Laura in the kitchen. He figured he should see them before he took off. But he wanted to leave soon for he was determined to leave before Kurt. He figured he'd get to the library and see what went down from there on.

"So, where did you say you were going?" Ororo asked.

Logan stared at her briefly and then said, "I didn't say. I just wanna go for a ride."

Ororo nodded for she knew that Logan was a mysterious individual. No matter how close the two had become he still ventured off from time to time without any indication of where he was going or what he was doing. She never pressed on or argued with his decisions though. His spontaneous attitude was all part of who he was.

She simply said, "Okay." She knew he'd fill her in sometime in the future. Or whatever he was doing would come back and bite him in the butt. Then everyone would know.

Laura looked at Logan and she seemed a tiny bit disappointed that he was leaving. "I thought you were going to spend the day with Ororo and me?" She said.

Logan looked at her. "Yeah, I'm sorry, kid. I just need to get outta this place for a little while. We'll have this evening and all day tomorrow. Given no one decides to attack us."

He never knew when someone would ambush them, or him. Magneto could be a significant problem since Wanda had left his side and joined the X-Men. Lately there weren't many problems with him. Since the whole Apocalypse ordeal he laid low and didn't fight the X-Men. But now that could all change. They have something he wants: His daughter.

"Don't call me 'kid'. You _know_ I hate that." She said with a scowl.

"Yep I know you do. It's just a habit." Logan told her.

Her expression softened and she said, "I'll forgive you."

"I'll try to stop calling you that. But I call a lot of people 'kid'."

"Well, as long as you try. . . " She then half-smiled.

She looked upset that he wasn't staying. She wasn't one for many emotions, but she's been getting more familiar with a few of them. How could one not while living there?

After seeing her expression he said, "Laura, look on the bright side, this will give you and Ororo more time together. I pretty much know you and you know me. We are basically the same person. Only I'm much older and I'm a male."

Ororo replied, "Yes, Laura. We've discussed things before. Personal things. It would be nice to talk about other subjects too. We've gotten closer. Why not get even more closer?"

Laura sat there in silence for a minute. She then said, "Yeah. You have a point. But I hope that we all do something before the weekend is through." She didn't want to sound demanding. She only wanted to spend more time with Logan and Ororo.

"Good. That's settled. Well . . . I must get goin' if I don't wanna be gone all damn day." Logan asserted.

Logan kissed Ororo on the lips and she returned the move. And he pat Laura on the head and ruffled her hair. He didn't know what else to do. This was still strange to him. Ororo gave him a strange look but couldn't keep herself from letting out a small laugh.

He looked over to her. "What's so funny?"

She said, "You really need to start spending more time with Laura and me. She is a person not a dog." She grinned at him.

"Hey, this is all new to me. But I suppose I should hug her, right?" Logan responded awkwardly.

"Yes. That would be the thing to do. " Ororo replied.

Laura was just as weird about certain things as Logan. There was only a small handful of people she got comfortable around. With them she felt more at ease to express herself. But that all took time. Ororo's guidance surely helped Laura and it would also greatly help Logan.

Logan finally hugged Laura, but briefly. She looked up at him and returned his gesture. Then he planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"That's how it should be. Especially since she is now your daughter." Ororo said still smiling.

"Ya better not be mocking me, darlin', or you'll be payin' for it later." He said with a wink. He was being dirty minded but only subtly. Luckily Laura didn't catch on.

Ororo did of course. "Really? How will you make me pay?"

"We'll discuss that at a later time." He motioned to where Laura was sitting.

"Certainly." She stood up and kissed Logan once more before he left.

After they parted Logan went his own way. Ororo sat back down and glanced over towards Laura who was staring at the table. She appeared to be upset still.

"What's the matter?" Ororo questioned her.

"I have this feeling that he's not just going for a ride." Laura stated.

Ororo knew what she meant. "I know. But Logan is someone who has a free spirit. He's much better than he used to be. He used to take off for weeks at a time. Or even months. Now it may be a day or two."

"Why does he do that?" Laura didn't comprehend his ways. Even if they were nearly two peas in a pod.

"It's just who he is. Sometimes the ones you love do strange things. You just have to accept them and give them their space. Whatever he's doing could very well come out in to the open at some point." Ororo explained.

Laura stared at her. "He seems to cause a lot of trouble." She then added with a hint of a smile, "But look who's talking."

Ororo smiled. "He has a complicated life with a complicated past."

"At least he had a chance to live." She said bitterly.

"That's over though, sweetheart. Now you are here and safe. You can be whoever you want to be. You are free of the hold that Hydra had once had on you." Ororo told her with sympathy.

Laura scowled at the mention of Hydra, but she nodded. "And thank goodness."

Ororo and Laura continued talking. It was great that Laura was slowly opening up. She seemed to bloom well since she first arrived. Even so, there was still much for her to work on.

**

* * *

**In Kurt's room he was gradually getting prepared to leave. He had so many questions to ask Mystique. Even more than he had before. Ever since he read his note his mind had been reeling over everything she wrote. And Rogue's note made him all the more inquisitive. He would leave that to Rogue though. When she was ready to see their mother again he would go along. Not only because he was curious of her past, but also because he knew that Rogue and Mystique shouldn't be alone with each other.

As Kurt was deep in though he heard a voice coming from his doorway. "Kurt, be careful. I don't really like that you are goin' ta see Mystique all alone. But ya know I can't go. I can't deal with her again. At least not now."

He turned and said, "I understand, Rogue. But I _must_ go. I have so many questions that I need to have answered. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

"She's your biological mother so you have every right to those answers. She only adopted me." She told him.

"You have a right to know about your past too. She is willing to inform us both on all that she knows. Sure, she knows more about me, but still she knows more about you than you do." He said back.

She sighed. "Yeah, that could be true. But I just can't see her at this time. The last time went badly. I'm not ready to face her yet."

Kurt walked over to Rogue and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I only hope that one day you will confront her again. I'm not trying to push you. This is just so important to me, sis. I want us all to be a family."

Rogue couldn't help but smile. "I will someday. But not now. I know it's important and it is to me as well. I would love to have a real family. As close to one as I can get. From where I stand though I already have that. You and the others are the best thing that's ever happened ta me." Her eyes glazed over with tears.

He nodded and embraced her. She returned his move and they hugged for a bit. When they pulled apart he could tell that she cried a little.

"Everything will be fine, Rogue. I promise."

Now she nodded. "Go on then before you end up late."

They both said goodbye and Kurt left her standing there. He quickly made his way down the stairs and out the door before anyone could stop him. He wanted to walk most of the way due to all of the people that would be around. He'd only teleport when he was sure that no one would see him.

Long after Kurt left Rogue remained outside his doorway. She worried about him no matter what he told her. She wasn't convinced that Mystique was trying to change. Maybe for Kurt she would, but Rogue didn't see how she could ever get close to Mystique. It would be nice since that was the only mother she had any knowledge of. And it sure would be nice to find out more about her past. However, she was not going to pay her a visit for a while.

As Rogue stood there Wanda walked up to her. She knew that Kurt had left and understood that he didn't have time to say goodbye to her. After all, they were only friends anyway. They've become close though and the only person who seemed to really detest their friendship was Rogue. Wanda wanted to try to make peace between herself and Rogue. They both had enough enemies and now that they were on the same side they didn't need to be against one another. But some things work out fine in one's mind while they don't in reality.

"Rogue, can we talk?" Wanda said.

Rogue snapped out of her daze. "About what?"

"About Kurt and I."

"What's there ta talk about?" Rogue said with a touch of coarseness.

Wanda thought, _"This is already not going well." _But she had to talk to her. So she went on.

"Look, whether you want to talk or not we have to. I just want to know why you get so upset when you see Kurt and I together?"

Rogue turned and looked right into Wanda's eyes. "I don't trust you." There was much bitterness in her tone.

"And why don't you? Professor Xavier does." Wanda replied feeling irritated.

"Well, I don't. Magneto is your father. And ya did do a lot of damage ta us at tha Bayville mall. And . . . " She got cut off.

"That was a long time ago! I was lost and confused. Being locked up in an asylum for most of your life will do that! Magneto was the problem, not me. I did what I had to do. Yes, he's my father, but I am _nothing _like him. Mystique is Kurt's mother. Is he anything like her?" She was getting infuriated.

Rogue retorted, "Not really, aside from skin color. But that's besides tha point."

Wanda scowled at her. "Then what _is _the point?!"

"I just don't like you." Rogue said abruptly.

Wanda was taken back. She said the first thing that came into mind and that was, "Fine. I really don't care whether you like me. Kurt does and you _aren't _keeping us from being friends."

"If you hurt him I sure as hell will." Rogue was so frustrated.

"You know, you deny it, but you're very much like Mystique." Wanda was quite angered now and she didn't care what came out of her mouth.

"What!? I'm the complete opposite of that heartless woman! She's not even my mother. She only adopted me ta more or less use me."

"Then Kurt isn't you're brother. It's that simple." Wanda snapped.

"Kurt _is_ my little brother, by blood or not. Either way, he was always like a brother anyways. And that's how I see him. I _don't_ want him hurt." Rogue was so angry she felt like punching Wanda.

"I'm not going to hurt him. He and I are friends. We understand each other. He's the only person I ever had any kind of real connection to." Wanda stated. She was angry. "I came to you in hope of making peace between us."

Rogue stared at her with a scowl. "It's no use. I'm not a people person."

"Oh and you think I am! I only want you to stop giving me dirty looks every time you see Kurt and I hanging out. It's getting annoying. We're doing nothing wrong. What's the big deal. Look who your dating for Heaven's sake."

She knew she pushed Rogue's buttons. She's stuggled to control her temper most of her life. That was her biggest fault.

Rogue got into Wanda's face. "Remy has nothing to do with this conversation. So leave him out of it!"

"I was just saying. He used to be one of my fathers' pathetic acolytes."

This time Rogue had had enough. She shoved Wanda hard against the wall. "I told you to leave him out of it! This is not about him!"

Wanda wore a harsh expression upon her face. As she tapped into her hex power her eyes began to glow red. "Why not? I was only comparing the fact that you connected with him almost the same way I conncected with Kurt. Do you see some similarities? I do. I wasn't being rude about it. So what's your fucking problem?!" She shoved Rogue back just as hard. And she still tapped into her power, ready to attack Rogue if necessary.

Jean made her way down the hall in the middle of their argument. She had heard them before she even got to the top of the stars. She could sense much hostility. As she got closer and saw Wanda preparing to use her power she knew she had to do something. She thought, _"I'm probably going to regret this, but here goes..."_

Jean sighed and asked, "What's the problem girls?" She saw them glowering at one another.

Rogue rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Wanda just stood there with her hands on her hips. But she did release her concentration on her power and her eyes went back to normal. Neither one of the girls felt like talking to Jean.

"Please, would one of you say something. Rogue, don't give me that look. You know that I like for things to get resolved. We are _all_ on the same team. So, come on." Jean coudn't help but press them. She figured it would be better to talk then fight.

Finally with much anger Rogue said, "I hate her hanging around Kurt!"

"She can't stop us! I'm allowed to be friends with him if I want to." Wanda stated in a frustrated tone.

Jean raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Why don't we discuss this like adults. After all, we are young adults." She paused to see if they would comment, but they remained silent. She then said, "Rogue, Wanda does have the right to be friends with whoever she'd like. Kurt is the only one who can change that."

That earned Jean a look that could kill. "He's my little brother."

"I know. But he's old enough to make his own decisions too." Jean told her, staying calm.

Wanda sent Rogue a look that pretty much spoke for itself. It was like saying "Ha ha, she's on my side". Rogue glared at her.

"You both need to realize that no matter what differences you share you also share some common ground. Many of us here have great differenes. But we deal with those and only try to see the compatibility. I think you both should try to do the same. Wanda, what was your purpose for speaking to Rogue in the first place?"

If it was even possible Jean was hoping they could at least try to get along better. A handful of the X-Men didn't get along all of the time. It was normal. Especially when there was so many living in one place. Even if it was a huge mansion they were bound to get on each others' nerves at some point.

Wanda answered, "I wanted to make peace with her so she would_ stop_ giving me dirty looks every time she sees me with Kurt. And perahps we could even be friends. But no, she had to be a bitch about it."

"Me? You were being a bitch." Rogue retorted.

Jean sighed and said, "Girls, please. In my opinion you're both being bitches."

They both stared at her and she could see the anger in their eyes. Jean stared back for she only spoke the truth. How else could she put it.

There was much silence for a good few minutes. Wanda and Rogue just stood in the hallway across from Jean. The both stared at the floor. Jean stood watching and waiting for some kind of response. She knew they were contemplating her words. That's one good thing about being psychic.

"Maybe you're right." Rogue said finally said, still wearing a look of irritation. She couldn't deny that at all.

Wanda nodded with a scowl. "Yeah. I guess you are." She hated to agree, but she couldn't deny it either.

Jean smiled. "Now can you two calm down. Wanda, I know this is still so new to you. But we _are_ you're friends. And Rogue, try not to start fights within our own team. Logan does that enough for everyone." She made a joke. It was truth though.

Rogue and Wanda smiled somewhat. They both knew how true it was. Rogue more than Wanda.

"Yeah. He sure does." Rogue stated.

Wanda said, "I'm just going to say now that Kurt and I will be friends and hang out. I don't care what anyone thinks or says." She looked at Rogue. There was less anger in her tone and expression, but still it was there.

Rogue looked at her. "I know I can't stop ya. It's just that I worry about him a lot." Her expression and voice had the same hint of anger. She paused before continuing.

Jean stood there silently. She hoped they could work this out. If only a little. But she stayed there in case it got out of hand again.

Rogue finally went on, "I really worry when he goes off by himself like this. I'm afraid Mystique's goin' ta hurt him, one way or another. But there's nothin' I can do. I can't stop him if he wants ta see her either. And he has every right ta see her." Her expression changed from angry to worrisome.

Wanda looked at her and her expression changed a bit. She could see that Rogue really did love her brother. She only wanted what was best for him. And Rogue wasn't exactly a calm person about most things. Since she could touch she's became less agrivated. Still she got angry quite easily. And for the fact that Wanda had the same tendacy to get infiriated easily they were bound to clash every so often.

"I believe that he'll be fine. He's not stupid. If she steps out of line I'm sure that he'll call for help or something." Wanda said. She knew how much Rogue and everyone there loved Kurt. She just didn't understand how it felt because she never had anyone love her that unconditionally

"Yeah, he'll get help if she allows him to." Rogue said, her anger returning. "She's devious at times. Most of the time to be honest."

Wanda said back, "We have to trust him though and respect his wishes. He may actually have a chance at getting close to her. I'll _never_ have that change with my father." After mentioning Magneto her anger came back some.

Jean decided to jump in."But rest assured, if anyone hurts him they'll have to answer to all of us." She then said to Wanda, "And if you prove you're one-hundred percent loyal to us then things will get much better."

"How can I prove that? I've already tried. I've done well in every Danger Room session."

"Yes, but that's only training. Some want to see how you'd do in battle. I hope there isn't a battle though." Jean explained.

Wanda replied, "Oh, but I have a huge feeling there will be. Magneto won't let me get away that easily. I escaped, but I _know_ he's planning on trying to take me back. And I will _not_ go back. When that time comes I _will_ prove my loyalty to the X-Men."

Jean knew she wasn't lying. "I believe you. But, let's get back to the main point here."

Rogue said, "Alright. Wanda, go ahead and be around Kurt. Just remember what I said about hurting him."

"I will. And promise you won't give anymore dirty looks." Wanda said back.

"O.K., I promise." Rogue still didn't like the idea. But that wasn't her biggest problem at the moment.

Wanda nodded. "Thanks. Well, I'm going to lay down. My head hurts. See you two later." She walked off towards the girls' dormitories. She hoped herself that her and Rogue wouldn't be at each others' throats too much. She truly wanted to be better and be an X-Man. However, she understood that she had to prove it. And when the time came she could definitely do so.

After she left Jean and Rogue remained in the hallway. For a bit they said nothing. Then Jean said, "Are you really going to give her a break?"

"Why are ya askin' me. You can read minds, can't ya?"

Jean laughed. "Yeah, I can. But I don't like to unless I must."

"Well, yeah. I'll give her a break. But if for _one_ second I believe that she's goin' ta hurt my brother then she'll be sorry." Rogue stated firmly.

"I don't blame you. I'll be right on your side too." Jean told her. "I remember back when you hated me."

Rogue stared at her. "I never _hated_ you. I only hated how damn popular you were."

"And that Scott wanted me." Jean said.

"Don't bring that up. Please. We've worked things out and ..." She didn't finish.

Jean sensed she still had feelings for Scott. "I'm sorry. Forget I said that, okay."

"Yeah. O.K." Rogue said kind of distantly. Not because she was being rude or anything. She just couldn't keep her mind of of Kurt being with Mystique. All by himself.

"Everything will be fine." Jean said to her.

"Whatever. I'm goin' to my room too. Later." Rogue walked off to her room.

_"Wow. That went better than I thought."_ Jean thought. Then she made her way back downstairs.

Jean wasn't sure if the fighting bewteen Wanda and Rogue was over yet for good. But at least for now it was. She knew Wanda was right about Magneto. They all knew. It was just a matter of time before he would make his move.

**

* * *

**Meanwhile, Kurt had made it to the library. Little did he know that Logan was there secretly keeping an eye on him. He was there for a while now, but Kurt had only been there for around ten minutes. He was beginning to think that Mystique wasn't going to show up. Then within the next three minutes she drove into the parking lot and parked. She was in her disguise, Saphira Richardson.

When Logan saw Kurt walk over to the car and get in he was in puzzlement. He was wondering why he was getting in a car with a stranger. Just as Logan was thinking that he'd have to follow them further to find out he caught a drift of them talking.

"Hey, Mother. I thought you weren't going to come."

Mystique looked over to him. "I was running late. But I'm here now. So . . . What do you want to do about lunch. Go out and then go back to my place or get something and eat there?"

Kurt thought a little. He wanted to learn about his past so he knew it would be bad to talk about that in public. "Well, I think we should get something and go to your place. What we'll be discussing shouldn't be out in the open." He raised both eyebrows and smiled.

"Isn't that the truth. We don't need anyone overhearing our conversation." She replied with a cold undertone and then added, "So, what would you like to have? Anything will do for me."

"I love food, so I'm not picky. But hamburgers would be great." He said smiling again.

This time she smiled back. "Then hamburgers it is."

Mystique knew exactly where to go for that. Once she drove out of the parking lot Logan stayed behind some. He was still going to follow because now he knew who the 'stranger' was. She wasn't a stranger at all. It was mystique and he didn't like it.

Logan also realized at that moment why he didn't catch a drift of her sent. He was able to pick up on Kurt, but not hers. For quite some time she was able to hide her sent somehow. If not for that he would have known it was her posing as Professor Xavier way back when the Juggernaut was freed.

Soon Mystique was far enough away that Logan could safely follow. He didn't want to be seen at all. And he figured that when he got to where they were going he could park his bike a block or so away and walk. He only wanted to make sure that Kurt would be okay. Whether he trusted Mystique or not, Logan didn't at all.

In the car there wasn't much of a conversation. When they went through the drive-thru Kurt told her what he wanted and afterwards she proceeded to order. Once they got their food he held the bag and drink holder. It was once again silent, but this time Kurt broke through it.

"I have a lot of questions to ask. I hope you have time to answer them all." He said.

As they reached a red light she glanced at him and said, "I thought that you would. But think about the ones you want to know the most and we'll discuss those today. If we can not get them all I'm sure we'll have other days to do so."

That meant that he would really have to think hard. He knew he wanted to know about his father so that would be the biggest one. "Okay. I already know one."

"Good. Well, think of others, if you can. We'll talk more once we are there and go inside."

"Will we be able to eat and converse, because I'm starving?" He asked.

She shook her head and grinned a little. "Of course. Isn't that what a family is supposed to do?"

Kurt studied her briefly and the replied, "It looks like you've been doing some homework of your own." He joked.

"Yes." Was all that she said. She knew that she had to work on being a mother. Without having a family that cared for her when she was younger it was harder for her to be nurturing. All she could do was the best she could and hope she was better. And she also hoped to get closer to Rogue, if that was even possible.

At last they were on her street and she pulled up to her driveway. They left the car and made their way to her door. In no time at all they were inside and behind the closed door.

Logan wasn't too far behind. At a distance he watched. When he saw them go inside he searched for a place to park. Upon finding it he parked his bike and began to walk towards Mystique's residence. It didn't take him long to get there. He made sure no one could see him before he went to find a way to listen in on them. He didn't want anyone calling the police thinking he was a peeping tom or anything like that.

The coast was clear so Logan searched for a perfect place to eavesdrop. He peeked into the windows and followed the sound of their voices. Shortly he located them in what seemed to be the dinning room. Luckily at that spot he was hidden from view by anyone who might walk by. He made himself as comfortable as he could and listened in.

Inside Mystique and Kurt had just sat down to eat and he couldn't wait to ask his first question. He left it swim around in his head for a bit trying to figure out how to go about with it. In nearly two minutes he asked it.

"Can you tell me about my father? Was he a good man or a bad man?"

Mystique looked into her son's eyes from across the table. She knew it would be hard to go into detail about his father. But it was now or never. She took a deep breath and began to answer.

"Well, yes. I can tell you about your father. I only knew him by the name Azazel, although he had went by many names. It's hard to know if he was good or bad. I believe he was a little of both. He had a demonic appearance, which you have inherited. You've also inherited his ability to teleport. Along with that power he could shapeshift too." She paused and then resumed. "Your father was a complicated individual. Even though I fell for him I still didn't know what he was all about. He swept me up very easily and it didn't take long for things to get . . . personal between us. Of course, I ended up pregnant with you." She explained.

But now Kurt had another question. "Weren't you married?"

The shape-shifter sighed. _"This is going to be difficult"_ , she thought. Regardless to that fact she continued, "Yes. I was married to a man named Christian Wagner. Obviously that's where your last name came from. At the moment that's all I will say about him. I've done things that were not all that great. You only know half of it. And I will eventually inform you of more. But not now."

Kurt nodded for he understood. Besides, his main interest was for his father. He said nothing.

Mystique was silent momentarily and then she went on. "Your father was quite interesting. He believed he was a real demon. I am uncertain if that was true or not. He claimed he had the power of immortality. That seemed to be actuality. I had no doubt of that. He said he was the father of an ancient mutant race called the Neyaphem."

That was a lot to digest. For about five minutes Kurt and Mystique just sat there finishing their meal. She didn't know what to say next. And he was allowing everything she said sink in.

When he was done eating he asked, "So what happened between you two that caused you to separate?"

She finished her last bite and took a sip of soda. Then she answered, "I'm not sure, to be honest. Apparently he didn't really love me. All I know is that I was pregnant and after I gave birth to you everything became catastrophic. Everyone thought you were a demon. And when I gave birth I couldn't keep up my disguise which lead me to accidently reveal my true form. You and I were hated and they all wanted to annihilate us. I didn't know what to do. That's where Magneto came in to the picture. He was supposed to help us. But he only made matters far worse. I have a great deal of animosity towards him for what he had done. I had no choice but to toss you into that river. It saved you're life, Kurt. I made sure of that. I coudn't live with myself if I had known you died. The people who took you in are wonderful. And I am overly pleased with the way they brought you up. I kept watching you for time to time to see how you were doing. You've become an amazing young man. And I know I've never said this to you, but son, I am extraorinarily proud of you." She stopped talking. And she smiled at him slightly.

Kurt smiled back. He was pleased with what he heard. "Thanks. You may have done bad things, but you do what's right when you have to. So then my father is somewhere out there?"

"Most likely. I'm not sure, but I think he knew you were his son. I woudn't doubt that he may have secretly watched you." She told him.

He smiled again. "I hope. Is it okay if I share this with Rogue?"

She nodded. "Go ahead."

"Hopefully she'll join us one day." He said.

"I want that. But I don't know how to deal with her. We're both stubborn, I admit to that. We always seem to end up clashing. Just try to talk her into coming to see me again. You can come too. I'll try harder to not snap at her. As hard as that will be." Her words were sincere yet bitter at points.

Kurt replied, "She is complex. No doubt about it. I know she wants to see you. Even when she denies it I can see the truth in her eyes. I'll try to talk to her."

The shape-shifter said nothing, she only nodded again. What else could she say about Rogue that she hasn't already?

By that time hours had passed and soon it would be evening. She realized that he better leave. She knew his friends would be getting suspicious.

"I know you probaby don't want to leave just yet, but you must. I have to drive you back to the library."

He glanced at his watch out of habbit. "Yeah, it is getting late. No one stays at the library even as long as I supposedly did."

"If you do have more questions, it's not like we can't do this again."

"I only hope that one day I won't have to hide where I'm going. I hate hiding things from my friends." Kurt told her.

She sighed and scowled. "I hope for that too. But for now we have to do whatever it is that we can in order to meet."

Mystique and Kurt got up and she tranformed into her identity. She and her son headed out of the apartment and to her car. Shortly afterwards they were on the road. They talked, but not a lot. After talking for hours neither of them had much to say. Not at that moment at least.

Logan was still there. He decided not to bother them. What went on was innocent. He didn't sense any danger by her and that surprised him. However, once Kurt departed from her he was going to confront her anyway. He wanted to make certain that nothing strange was going to go on. He knew how she was and didn't trust her at all.

When Logan saw that her car was at a safe distance he walked to his bike, hopped on it and followed them again, careful to stay in the distance like before. He thought it best to still keep an eye on Kurt. Just in case she did try something before they went separate ways. After all, that was Mystique. She's always been sly and unpredictable.

It didn't take long for the shape-shifter to reach the library parking lot. Once there Kurt undid his seatbelt, but didn't get out right away. He wanted to go yet part of him didn't.

When his mother noticed that he wasn't making an attempt to get up she asked, "Is something wrong?"

He looked at her and replied, "No. I've enjoyed our time together and I'm just not ready for it to end."

She gave a closed-mouth smile. She felt the same. "I've enjoyed your company too. But unfortunately our time together has to cease, for now. You have my number. You can contact me anytime you wish. And we will meet again. I promise."

Promises weren't usually her thing. She's broken many so-called promises in her years. But for some reason she wanted to keep this one. Probably because it was to her son that she so badly wanted to get close to. And for the fact that she would like to reach out to Rogue in hope of getting close to her someday. If she breaks her promises she won't be taken seriously by Kurt or Rogue. That would only prove Rogue to be right and she'd lose both of her children. Maybe forever.

Kurt was still looking at his mother. She was hard to read, but he believed her. The sincerity was in her face. "I know. I will call you, even if we don't meet for a while. Just talking to you is nice."

Mystique couldn't help but smile again, this time showing her teeth. "I'm gald to hear that."

"Maybe next time Rogue will come along." He said.

"I highly doubt that, but she's welcome to join us." She did want to see Rogue, but she was afraid of clashing with her again.

He nodded. "Well, I better be going. Everyone's probably worried. You know how my friends get." He grinned.

"I sure do. I'll talk to you later then." As other times before she wanted to say 'I love you', but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Being mushy wasn't her thing either. Though she did grab his hand before he got out and squeezed it gently. "Don't be a stranger, Kurt. I mean it." She had to add a touch of sternness. She wasn't going soft, she only wanted to show him that she cared.

"I won't." He squeezed her hand back the same way. Then he got out. "Later, Mother."

He also wanted to say that he loved her. He decided not to. Not because he couldn't say the words yet. Only because he figured it would be too soon. No matter how angry he was with her, he still loved her. He knew his sister loved her as well. Perhaps not as much as he did. But she wasn't her biological daughter. Still he saw her as his sister. They were family either way.

"Goodbye." She said back.

Mystique watched Kurt until he was out of her sight. She then remained parked for a while. A lot ran through her head. But soon her thoughts would be disrupted.

As she sat there in silence, watching people drive by or walk by, a gruff voice interrupted her moment. She turned her head and right outside of her door stood Logan. He, for once, didn't look like he was going to attack her. Nevertheless, he appeared suspicious and he had a protective look to him.

"What do you want? Have you been spying on me?" She glared up into his eyes.

He narrowed his eyes on her and with a snarl he said, "I'm makin' sure you ain't up to somethin'. I guess you could say I was spyin' on ya. Nothin' caught me as suspicious. But if ya make one wrong move on Kurt, or Rogue, you'll wish ya hadn't."

"Is that a promise or a treat?" She couldn't help but say something smart. She had no intentions of hurting either one of her kids.

He growled. "I'm not playin' games. But let's just say, I don't break my promises and I never back down on a threat. If you're not up to somethin' then you should have nothin' to worry about."

With that all said he turned around and strode off to his bike. Mystique stared at him with a raised eyebrow as he left. She had nothing to say. Knowing how Logan was she was seriously expecting a fight. Given the fact that there was no reason to fight he let her off with a warning. He apparently knew how much Kurt wanted to be with her.

Mystique had nothing to worry about because she was being sincere with Kurt. She wanted nothing more than to have her children back. And in a world of loneliness she even felt desperate for it. She'd never let anyone know that though.

Once she watched Logan ride off on to the road and out of her view she shook her head thinking, _"How could have I ever allowed things to get this messed up?"_ She remained parked for a little longer, just thinking.

From that moment on she promised herself to never be the person she had been for so long. At least not to her children. She knew she was doing a hell of a lot better. Still there was much improvement to be made. But no matter how miuch she tried she'd never be a saint.

The shape-shifter started her car and drove off. On her way home more reality set in and it hit her like a ton of bricks. When she got home she knew she'd be alone. Being alone was nice, but when you spend most of your days by yourself it got depressing.

Once she was home she parked and went into her apartment. Her mind was spinning. She truly hated herself for all of the bad things she'd done. And she was certain she'd still get caught up in bad things. As long as they didn't involve Kurt or Rogue she wouldn't care. She knew that no matter how much she tried to change she could never be all goody-goody like the X-Men. She'd always be more of a villain than a hero. That's just the way it had to be.

**

* * *

**At the Xavier institute Rogue sat near the foyer on the bottom step. It was late and Kurt hadn't came home yet. She was getting worried. She got up and started to pace back and forth in front of the staircase. Remy was off in the rec room playing cards. He was trying to teach some of the younger students how to play poker. Go figure.

Ororo walked over to Rgoue and placed her hand upon her shoulder. "Are you okay? You look anxious."

"I'm worried about Kurt. He's been gone for too long." She relied.

"Come to think of it, so has Logan." Ororo said.

"Yeah but that's nothin' knew for him." Rogue told her.

Ororo let out a small laugh and said, "True. I'm sure Kurt is fine. Maybe he got caught up." Shortly after she said that the door opened. "Well, there he is. I'll let you two go."

Rogue nodded and waited for Kurt to come to her. "What took so long? Did she hurt you?"

He stared at her with surprise. "Everything went well. That's why I'm late. Come to my room. I'll tell you everything."

Before Rogue could give a response he embraced her and teleported them to his room. He shut his door. He then took a seat on the edge of his bed and Rogue sat down beside him.

"So, she didn't hurt you?" Rogue said.

"No, we had lunch and did a lot of talking. She told me about my father. Finally I know a great deal about him." He went on and told her all that Mystique had told him. Or at least what he could remember.

For about 20 minutes Rogue sat beside him and listened. When he finished she looked stunned. "You're father really was a demon?!"

Kurt placed a finger over Rogue's lips. "Sh, not so loud. From what he told our mother, yeah. And she can tell you about your parents too. That's if you come with me to see her sometime."

Rogue shook her head. "Kurt, no. I'm sorry, but I'm not ready ta see her again. Not yet. Give me some time. O.K."

"Okay, sis. But you can't put this off too much longer. I'm sure you want to know about your past." He told her.

"Yeah. I do. But I can't deal with her. Ya know how things go when we get together. All we do is argue. We push each other to tha boilin' point." She explained.

"It's fine. Take your time. Just remember that when you are ready that I'll be right by your side. You won't have to go alone." He replied.

"I know. Thanks." She hugged him briefly. "I'm just glad you're O.K. and all."

Kurt felt hungry. "I missed dinner, didn't I?"

Rogue grinned. "Is food always on your mind?"

He grinned back. "Not always. But seriously."

"Yeah. But there's some left-overs. I didn't eat much. I'll have some with ya."

He nodded and they left his room and walked downstairs. They went to the kitchen to get something to eat. And to talk more.

Around the same time Logan strode in the front door. He closed the door and began to walk. Ororo was still in the area and she greeted him before he got too far.

She hugged him and kissed him on the lips. "Where have you been? I know I don't usually ask, but Laura is really disappointed. She was in hope that you would be home much sooner."

In a husky voice he said, "I'm sorry. Where is she?"

"Outside. Somewhere. She got frustrated in waiting. After dinner she took off."

"Damn it. Is she still on the grounds?"

"As far as I know, yes."

Logan kissed Ororo and said, "I'll be back. And I'll make it up to both of you tomorrow. I promise. And tongiht I can start making it up to you." He smirked while saying the last line.

Ororo smiled at him. "You better." She flirted back. "But go work things out with Laura first. And you should eat when you get that settled."

"Sure thing. See ya in a bit." He then took off outside to find Laura.

Logan searched for nearly five minutes before he picked up on her sent. Once he smelt her he followed the sent and soon he spotted her. She was in the woods sitting on a log, staring into the water.

Before he even got that close to her she turned around and glared at him slightly. "Where were you? You said we could spend the evening together. But you weren't even here." She sounded more disappointed then angry.

"Laura, I'm sorry, kid."

"Er, don't call me that!" She jumped up.

Logan walked closer to her and placed both hand on her shoulders. "I apologize, for bein' late. And callin' ya that. Forgive me?"

Laura gazed up into his eyes. She didn't know what to say or do. She was upset with him. Extremely upset. But she knew he cared about her. If not why would he go through everything he did to adopt her so that she was safe. Her hard expression softened a little.

"I forgive you. But, you _better_ spend tomorrow with me and Ororo. You did say you would." She sounded so demanding.

He couldn't help but laugh at her. Then he said, "I am doin' just that. I already told her. Nothin' will stop us from doin' some kind of activity tomorrow."

She said back, "Danger Room sessions do not count either."

He laughed again. "Oh don't worry, we'll do somethin' we can all enjoy. But I'll need some help from you and Ororo. I'm still not good at this."

"I don't care if we all just sit and talk. Or if we only sit and stare at each other. I just want us to be together. We are supposed to be a family, right?"

"Yeah, we are." He said to her. "Now why don't ya come inside with me. There's still some time before we retire for the night."

"Okay." That was all she said.

Their conversation lastd for nearlyl five minutes. Now Logan placed his one arm around her and they began to walk side-by-side. Once they were inside he headed towards the kitchen. At that time the only one in there was Ororo.

"I see that you found her. And apparently she forgave you."

"Yep on both. Now I'm goin' to eat."

While he ate the three of them talked a bit. They had no idea to what they'd do the next day. But they'd surely figure out something.

Not much later Kurt was upstairs getting ready for bed when he heard a knock on his door. "Who is it!" He called out.

"Me!" Came the voice.

"Wanda. Just a second!" He pulled on a pair of pajama pants and then he said, "Come in!"

She walked in and stood by his bed. "May I." She pointed to his bed.

His eyes got wide. "May you what?"

"Oh, no. I meant may I sit down?" She smiled ackwardly.

"Yeah, sure." He said smiling back in the same manner.

"I won't stay long. I just wanted to know how your day went." She said.

He looked at her. "It actually went well. I'll tell you more in the morning. How about you? How was your day?"

She sighed. "Well, I did talk to Rogue. We nearly got into a huge fight. It's a good thing Jean jumped in and calmed us down."

"Wow. Yeah, she's good like that." He then said, "Did you work it out though?"

"I guess so. Only time will tell. Her and I are both hot-headed, so who knows." Wanda told him.

They both smiled. It was very true. And time would be the only way of revealing what the outcome would be.

"Well, I'll talk to you more later. I only wanted to know because you were gone a while."

"Okay. I'll let you know everything tomorrow. I promise." He sad to her.

"Goodnight then."

"Goodnight." Kurt said back.

Wanda then left his room and headed off to her own. She was tired. And she knew Kurt had to be. She couldn't wait until morning though to hear what all went down with him and his mother.

**

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter:) I got it out ASAP. I also hope that everything is spelled correctly, because my computer wouldn't allow me to use the spellchecker for some reason. Anyway, I will try hard to get the next chater done before too long:) If anyone's reading, please leave a review. I really, really need to know what you think:) Thank you:)**


	18. Love and Relationships

**Chapter** **Seventeen**

Sunday morning seemed to arrive in a flash. By 9:00AM everyone at the institute was awake. Some just got up while others had been up for a least two hours or more.

Logan was heading to the foyer to meet Ororo and Laura. A while ago they had a picnic and they decided that morning to go outside for breakfast. It would be sort of another picnic, except this time it wasn't lunch. And since it was a weekend they had plenty of time to hang out afterwards.

Ororo smiled when she saw Logan coming towards them. "I'm glad you're finally able to do something with us again."

"Me too." He replied with a smile.

Laura looked at him. She didn't smile at first, but soon a partial smile swept over her face. She was happy that Logan was joining Ororo and her.

"So, you actually made it." She said.

"Of course. I did promise. Nothin' is going to stop me from spending the day with my two favorite women." He stated and he was about to ruffle Laura's hair, but he caught himself and placed his hand on her shoulder instead.

"You mean, you're going to be with us all day!?" Laura couldn't help but sound excited.

He looked into her eyes and said, "Well, I ain't got any other plans."

Ororo didn't know what to say. All she could do was smile. Logan had came a long, long way since she first met him. And Laura has been doing much better too.

Finally Ororo said, "We better go eat. I got everything put together, food and drinks. All we have to do is find a place to get comfortable."

Laura gazed up at Ororo. "Does it matter where we sit?"

"No. Why, do you have a place in mind?" Ororo answered.

"Yeah. I would like to sit in the woods where the water is. I really enjoy that area."

Logan and Ororo smiled at one another and then Ororo responded, "Sure. That's a beautiful place. It's perfect."

They each helped carry something and they made their way outside and to that particular spot. It took them about five minutes to get there, considering how huge the grounds were. Once there they got themselves situated. Logan helped Ororo place down the blanket and get the food and drinks ready.

When everything was in it's place they all seated themselves on the blanket, making sure that they faced the water. Laura was in the middle. That felt like an appropriate place for her to sit. And she didn't have any problems with it. Logan was basically her father. And Ororo was like a mother.

With every day that passed Laura had spent a good deal of time with Ororo. And she started to look at her somewhat as a motherly figure. Ever since Ororo had given her 'the talk', she had opened up to her more and more. Only little by little, but that was better than nothing at all. Laura needed to work more on her relationship with Logan. He was off most of the time, whether he was at the mansion or not. But that would change. He knew he had to spend more time with her than he has.

They began to eat and talk. But a short while into their conversation Laura said, "Were you two having sex last night?"

Both Ororo's and Logan's and eyes widened. Logan nearly choked on his food. He really didn't know what to say. He still wasn't good with that. Knowing that, Ororo took over.

"Um, why do you want to know?" Ororo started out simple.

"Because I heard you moaning. You didn't sound in pain or frightened like when you had nightmares. So I figured you two were doing it." Laure explained.

Ororo couldn't deny it if Laura heard it. "Yes, honey. We did." She then asked Laura, "You don't have anymore questions do you? You know, about what we had discussed a while back."

Laura shook her head. "No. I was only wondering."

Logan was relieved. He didn't mind spending time with Laura and Ororo. And he didn't have any trouble discussing sex in the company of Ororo. But he couldn't talk about that kind of stuff with Laura. He didn't think he'd feel right about it.

"Anything else ya wanna talk about, kid?" Logan glanced at Laura and thought, _" Shit, I called her kid again". _She gave him a harsh look, but before she could say anything he said, "I meant to say 'young lady'." He kept his eyes on hers.

Laura scowled. But the angry look faded. "Thanks for correcting that." Her words sounded coarse. She then paused.

Logan nodded. He didn't know what else to say, he sat there quietly. He didn't want to enrage her. It was hard to not call her 'kid' since it just came out so naturally. But he knew she hated it, so he'd try harder to not say it. That would clearly take time. Being a father was even harder for him though. He knew he could make it work or he wouldn't have adopted her. But still he felt he wasn't doing enough. If not for Ororo and the others he knew he couldn't pull it off at all.

Laura hadn't said anything more either. She actually was trying to think of a topic and was having much difficulty. When she talked with Ororo she found it easy to think of something. That was because they were both females. A lot of the subjects she had picked delt with femininity. Now her mind drew a blank. _"What can we all talk about?"_ She thought. She didn't want to bring up anything that involved Weapon X or Hydra.

Minutes at a time had passed. Ororo and Logan gave her time to think and just sat there listening to the birds and watching the water flow. But not too long afterwards Ororo could see that Laura was struggling by the look of annoyance on her face.

She smiled at her and said, "Don't stress over it. If you think of something then just let us know."

Laura glanced at her. "I have the slightest idea of what to talk about."

"As long as it's not about girly things, emotions or sex, no matter how much I love talkin' about those things." Logan said sarcastically. "Talk about nature if ya want. Then again maybe ya shouldn't."

"Why not?" Questioned Laura.

Logan had a dirty expression on his face. Laura didn't catch his drift, however, Ororo did. She smacked him on the arm. Laura stared at them with a look of complete confusion.

"Why can't we talk about nature?"

Logan said, "It was a joke."

"I didn't get it." She said back with the same confused expression.

Ororo shook her head and grinned. She then looked at Laura and said, "Sweetheart, Logan had his mind in the gutter, as they say."

Laura still appeared confused. "What's that mean? And who are 'they'?"

Ororo and Logan looked at one another. They realized that she wouldn't have a clue to what that meant. She was a teenager, but she was like a little girl.

"Should I explain?" Logan said with a smirk. And then he winked at Ororo.

"I think not. I'll take this one." She smiled at him.

He nodded, feeling glad she decided to take over. He knew he'd have to one day, but he wasn't ready.

He was afraid he'd get too graphic. In fact, he knew he would.

Ororo turned her attention to Laura who watched them both with an odd look upon her face. "Having ones mind in the gutter means that he was referring to sex. And 'they' only means that a lot of people use that term." That's the only way she could explain it.

Laura sat there silently thinking. She then looked at Logan and said, "Nature makes you think about sex?"

He looked back at her. "Sometimes. But I was just bein' dirty-minded."

She raised an eyebrow. "So, does that mean the same as having your mind in the gutter?"

"Yep." He replied gruffly. "But if ya really wanna talk about nature, go ahead. It's great."

"It is." Laura said back.

Ororo agreed with them both. They finally found one thing they all had in common ... nature. For Logan and Laura it was due to their animal instincts. And for Ororo it was due to her powers which kept her well in tune with the weather and all of nature.

About an hour and a half passed. The three talked a little about this and that. A lot of the time they only sat there watching and listening.

After a while Laura said, "Since I started to stay here I have come to this area quite a bit. Even when it's cold outside. It feels peaceful and soothing to be here."

"I've came to this area a lot myself." Logan commented. "Of course, Ororo and I _came_ here a bit too." He smirked.

Ororo smiled at him and laughed. "Yes, we have. But that's between you and me."

"Why? What did you two do here?" Laura asked. This time it sank in slightly, especially after seeing the looks on their faces. "Never mind. I think I figured that one out on my own."

Ororo still had a smile on her face. "I have come here alone from time to time as well." She looked over at Logan and shook her head. "It has a certain tranquility about it. Aside from nature sounds, which are beautiful. However, I seem to spend more time with my plants."

Logan grinned. "Ya have a jungle in your room."

"Ha-ha. I don't have nearly enough plants to make a jungle. Not yet at least." She laughed.

"Give it some time. Soon we can get busy in your room when we wanna walk on the wild side."

Ororo swat his arm. "Logan. You're going to get it."

"How hard, when and where?" He said back.

Laura didn't say anything. She had a feeling that he was being what they called 'dirty-minded' and having your 'mind in the gutter'. She just sat there, watching and listening to them.

"Logan, I mean it." She picked back.

As Ororo and Logan talked for a bit and joked Laura kept quiet. She actually found their actions amusing. It took time, but she started to know what joking was.

Even though there were many moments that morning where no one spoke, Laura didn't mind. None of them did. Spending time together was all that really mattered. Laura actually was smiling. Not a huge smile for her teeth weren't showing. But it was enough to know that she felt good. She never imagined she'd ever be happy. Her old life was behind her and here and now was all she wanted to think about.

**

* * *

**

Jean and Scott had spent some time in the Danger Room that morning. Logan didn't have a session, but Scott wanted to do some training. Jean thought it would be great for her and Scott to train together. So that's just what they did. Then after having a late breakfast they decided to got upstairs. Once they showered, together, they figured that they earned some time to sit back and chill.

At the moment Jean and Scott were sitting in his room on his bed. He was leaning up against the headboard with Jean sitting on his lap. Ever since Professor Xavier and Hank gave Scott an injection that helped him control his powers Jean couldn't stop staring into his eyes. The only time she didn't stare at them was when they were sleeping. For him it was great being able to see in color. Before all he could see was red. He knew exactly how Jean's hair looked and he found it hard to not comment on how red it was.

"Don't you ever get tired of hearing me say 'your hair is so red'?" He questioned her.

She smiled at him. "No. I hope you're not getting tired of me staring at you."

"Oh, no need to worry about that. I love your eyes too. They're intriguing." He replied. He then moved his face towards hers and pressed his forehead against hers.

Jean shifted her position so that she was straddling Scott. "Really? What else do you like about me?" She sounded flirty.

He placed his hands on her hips and gazed into her beautiful green eyes. "Well, my previous words were on a superficial level. Quite frankly, you sure have a lot going on in that department." He was trying his best to flirt back as he emphasized the last sentence by sliding his hands along her curves. And his eyes scanned over her body.

She smiled again and leaned forward, placing her lips gently on his. She then moved back and said, "Have you looked at yourself latley? I've seen how other girls look at you. Summers, you're sizzling hot!" She traced her finger down his chest over his shirt.

He grinned. He still felt odd when trying to flirt. "You know I don't do well with flirting."

"Yeah, but it's still fun. Perhaps you can get some lessons from Remy." She said.

"I don't know. I think I'll do fine." He slid his fingers up and down Jean's back in a sensual way.

She closed her eyes and soon felt his lips on hers. He pulled her against him and kissed her passionately. Even though they had been together a good while now and have kissed and made love many times, it never got boring. They always got so into it. That was probably because of how much they loved each other and how strong their bond was. Nothing could come between them.

Jean and Scott kissed and ran their hands over one anothers' body. Scott began to kiss Jean's neck, sending chills up and down her spine. When he moved away from her she took off her shirt and tossed it over the side of the bed. And he did the same with his own shirt. They then stared romantically into each others' eyes and their lips crashed together. This time their kissing got much more intense. As did their fondling. Their tongues wrestled in their mouths as their hands roamed over their bodies. The moment was getting highly heated.

After around ten minutes of heavy making out, more clothes came off. Scott undid Jean's pants, removed them and flung them on his floor. She copied him and soon his pants were with hers. At the rate they were going it didn't take much longer for their under garments to end up on top of the pile of clothing. Now they were entirely naked.

Jean kissed down Scott's toned chest and stomach until she reached his groin area. Once there she glanced up at him and grinned, a sultry grin. She licked her lips and then started to orally tease him. He moaned softly as she moved her mouth and hand up and down on him. His fingers tangled in her long, red hair. She continued for a couple of minutes, going fast then slow. In a bit he stopped her for he didn't want to climax yet.

Scott and Jean switched places so that she was lying on her back. He gave her a look that he thought was flirty, but it only made her laugh. He shrugged and then his face was in between her legs. He knew she wouldn't be laughing soon. He was right, for once he started to orally and manually stimulate her, her breathing intensified. And not too long afterwards small moans escaped from her lips. She raked her hands through his hair and from time to time she rocked her hips against his mouth. He took her the whole way causing her to moan a little louder.

He was still erect and going down on her only made it worse. When he moved his head from between her thighs he slid his body up so that his hips were resting on hers. He kissed her softly.

Before he slipped inside her she stopped him. "Scott! Protection."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I got caught in the moment." He apologized.

"You're forgiven." She kissed him quickly.

He reached into his night stand drawer and pulled out a condom. Once he had it on properly he entered her gently. They both let out soft moans as they began to feel the wonderful sensations they've come to enjoy. They haven't had a moment like that for a while and they hoped to make it last.

Scott slowly made love to Jean, kissing her lips, neck and breast. He even stared into her eyes at times. Jean raked her hands through his hair and down his back as they both relished the significant bliss that they shared. Around the same time Scott gradually moved faster and faster, but remained steady and gentle. The more he sped up the more she would moan. She began to scratch his back, lightly.

Nearly two hours later they were almost done. Within that time they took on different positions. One of the many was doggy-style. Finally they figured they went at every angle they could think of, except for Jean being on top. So she took over. It was her turn to take control. She started out slow, just as Scott did every time they switched it up. But within about a minute she began to move faster. She kept going at a fast and somewhat hard pace. Scott had allowed her to orgasm a number of times, but he hadn't went yet. Jean thought it was time for him to get his release too. She kept up the pace and felt her own peak coming. Her body tensed and she arched her back, scratching her nails over Scott's chest. She let out one last cry of ecstacy. Right after she reached her zenith Scott followed, letting out a moan. When all was done she laid down on him, resting her head on his chest.

They laid there holding one another for a good while. After they caught their breath Jean said, "We made love for nearly two hours. Well, counting the making out part."

Scott smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Wow. Two hours. That's got to be a record."

"Oh yeah."

"Wanna try for three next time?" Scott teased.

Jean smiled and looked up at him, their eyes met and she briefly pressed her lips to his. She then answered, "You're funny."

Jean and Scott continued to cuddle. They didn't get dressed yet. All they wanted to do was lay there in each others' arms. And that's just what they did. There wasn't anything else they had to do that day. So why not take that opportunity to be together, perhaps for an entire day.

**

* * *

**

Wanda and Kurt had spent much of their morning together as well. But their quality time was far different from that of Jean's and Scott's. Earlier Kurt had explained how his day with his mother went. He told Wanda everything. She followed up by telling him about the incident with Rogue. And how if Jean hadn't stepped in that his sister and her may have had a fight. Then they were in his room, but now they were in the rec room. Lunch had ended previously and most of the others were busy elsewhere. Logan, Ororo and Laura were still outside, they hadn't came in for lunch. Jean and Scott were still in Scott's room and they never had lunch either. The younger students were outside goofing around, as usual. Hank was out there with them to make sure they didn't get out of hand. Of course he had some help from the other older X-Men: Rogue, Remy, Warren and Piotr. The way the younger students could get at times he needed all of the help he could get. The only other person in the mansion with them, aside from Jean and Scott, was Charles Xavier. They had no worries about him overhearing them. Knowing him, he probably already knew that Kurt was sneaking off to hang out with his mother. Kurt knew that Jean knew. Neither of them worried about her too much either.

Wanda and Kurt were seated on the couch, slightly sideways so that they could see each other better. Wanda was amazed by what Kurt had told her. But even though he told her that Mystique was changing she still was suspicious.

"Kurt, it is great that Mystique is wanting to be with you, and Rogue for that matter. Still I hope you don't get careless. After all, she is cunning." Wanda told him.

"Yeah. Don't worry. The moment I know something weird is going on I'm out of there." Kurt responded.

She looked over at him with a sort of worried expression. "But what if you don't know? What if she walks you right into a trap or something?"

He stared back at her. "You sound a lot like Rogue."

"I guess there's one thing we have in common, besides being mutants and females." She said back.

"What's that?"

"We both care a about you."

Kurt tilted his head. "You care about me?" It wasn't really a question.

"Of course I do. You're my friend. And the only person here that I feel a connection to. The others are okay though. I only seem to have problems with Logan, Laura, Rogue and Scott. Jean is _too_ nice. How did her and Scott end up together?" Wanda stated, kind of joking at the end.

It was a subtle joke but Kurt caught on. "Jean is a really nice person. As long as you don't get on her bad side." He joked and they both laughed a little. He continued, "I think Professor X's qualities rubbed off onto her over the years. I believe that Jean and Scott equal each other out. She's usually calm while he can be . . . " He paused at the lack of a description for Scott.

"A dick." Wanda finished his sentence.

"Yeah. That works. But he means well."

She nodded. "I know he does. And even though it gets on my nerves and everything, I understand why I'm looked at through a microscope."

"I know you're nothing like Magneto. But they don't spend as much time with you as I do." He told her.

"No, they don't." She replied. She was looking a little distant all of a sudden.

Now it was Kurt's time to wear a worried expression. "What's wrong, Wanda?"

She shook her head. Her face was washed with a looked of anger and a slight touch of fear. "I don't know. But for some reason I keep having dreadful feelings. You know, about my father. I'm not one bit psychic, but I keep feeling like something bad is going to happen."

He moved closer to her. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

She shook her head again, now only showing anger. "No! I know he's going to come here for me! I've been here a while now, but he's only waiting for the right moment to ambush. If there's one thing I know about Magneto then that is that he never gives up." She wasn't harsh towards Kurt. But every time she spoke of Magneto it stirred up so many emotions, mainly rage.

Kurt remained calm. "Isn't that the truth. Just don't forget that if he does come here, you're not alone." He looked into her eyes and she looked back.

Her expression was that of worry and anger all mixed into one. "I sure hope so."

He placed his hand affectionately upon her shoulder. "I'm here for you. And I know the others will be too."

Wanda stared into his eyes and saw the deep sincerity. Her anger faded slightly as they gazed into each others' eyes. She trusted Kurt with her life. She only hoped she could trust all of the X-Men the same way. But she didn't know. Trust wasn't something she gave easily. However, she knew that the X-Men wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. They didn't hurt people even if they were enemies. All they did was try to stop them and hold them back.

This time she nodded. And what came next caught Kurt completely off guard. Wanda hesitantly placed her arms around his neck and embraced him tightly. At first he didn't know what to do, but soon he returned her move and placed his arms around her waist. She wasn't crying or anything. She only wanted someone to lean on.

Moments later she pulled back. "Sorry."

Kurt said, "Don't be. Everyone needs a hug every once and a while. If you need one, feel free to come to me."

"Thanks." She then leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek.

He so hoped that he wasn't blushing. He never expected her to hug him. But for her to kiss him, even if it was only on the cheek, struck him. _"Am I falling for her?"_ he questioned in his thoughts.

Kurt was a very trusting individual. And after all of the time he and Wanda had spent together it was quite possible that he may have been feeling something for her. How strong those feelings were though was the question. He said nothing about it. This was one thing he knew he couldn't tell her. Maybe time would reveal more.

Wanda stared at him. "Are you okay, Kurt? You look odd."

He looked at her. "Yeah, I'm okay. Don't I always look odd?"

She playfully pushed him. "No. You look great. And if you didn't I would tell you. You know how blunt I am."

"I do know. So, how great do I look?" He joked.

She smiled at him. "You're handsome."

"What about the rest of me?" He went on.

"Hm, should I say that you're sexy?" She teased back.

He smiled at her and this time he knew he blushed. "Um . . . sexy? I don't know."

"You are. Don't let anyone tell you any different. You are a beautiful person, Kurt." She assured him.

Kurt smiled at Wanda. "Thank you. You're beautiful too."

After that they talked for a little while longer, about so many things. A few times there was silence and their eyes would lock. At those times they could remain that way for a minute or so. It was as if they were studying one another. They both had the same question swimming around in their heads, _"Why am I staring like this?" _Apparently they both felt something. They were just not sure how to react to those feelings. Or maybe they may have been scared to.

Kurt really liked someone before, Amanda Sefton, and that didn't go well once her parents found out what he was. While they had secretly met, it didn't take long for her parents to catch on and they ended up moving. She called him from time to time, but they could only be friends. That was better than nothing. He knew he wouldn't have that problem with Wanda. However, knew her father would hate it and so would his mother. And perhaps even Rogue. What he was feeling for Wanda felt much like what he felt for Amanda in the beginning.

Wanda was not one to express her feelings much. She honestly didn't know a lot about feelings, unless they were of anger and rage. But now she's learned who cares about her and who doesn't. Still she doesn't want to let strange feelings cloud her thoughts and cause her to do anything she may regret. She had to learn more about what she felt. The only problem was, who could she talk to? She knew she wouldn't feel right speaking to Kurt about this, considering it's about him. Jean told her she could come to her for anything, so maybe she would talk to her. Jean could even already know.

The two pushed those awkward feelings aside and kept their conversation going. But no matter how much they would push how they felt to the back of their minds it would always be there. As long as they could hide it for a while all would be well.

**

* * *

**

Later that day, after dinner, Wanda decided she should talk with Jean about her feelings towards Kurt. She didn't quite understand the emotions she had. She was sure that Jean could help her. Jean agreed to talk. And even though Wanda hadn't told her what it was about, she had a vibe on what it was. There wasn't much that a psychic didn't know.

Jean told her she'd be in her room and to just come by when she was ready. Jean waited in her room for about a half hour after dinner. For a while she thought that maybe Wanda got cold feet and wasn't going to show up. Jean walked over to her dresser and was looking through her stuff. She glanced down at her nails and thought that while she waited she could put on some nail polish. She was getting bored with her nails being plain.

She picked out a reddish shade and walked over to her bed. Shortly after she sat down and began to paint her nails there was a knock at her door. She automatically knew who it was.

"Come in!" She yelled.

The knob turned and Wanda walked in, with some hesitation. She lingered in the door way for a bit. Jean glanced up from what she was doing. "It's okay, Wanda. You can come in further."

Wanda nodded and closed the door. She really didn't want anyone else to hear the conversation. She wanted it as privite as possible.

Once she was inside she still was hesitant. She had no idea how to start things off. Her mind was a mixed up mess. She closed her eyes briefly.

Jean sensed how tense she was. She was now finished with her nails and she looked over to Wanda.

"You could sit beside me. But only if you feel comfortable doing so." Jean told her. She wanted Wanda to be as much at ease as possible.

Wanda was nervous, but she walked over and sat down beside Jean. She still had no idea how to start the conversation. She knew that Jean more than likely had some idea to what she was called out for. So she thought she'd start off simple.

When Wanda sat down Jean asked, "Would you like to paint your nails too? I have this red that would look great on you."

Wanda gave her an odd look and replied, "No thanks. Maybe next time."

Jean nodded at her. "Alright." After a bit she noticed that Wanda was still struggling to put her thoughts into words. She then said, "This is about boys, am I right?"

"Yeah. It is." Wanda paused and then continued with, " So Jean, what exactly do you know?"

"I know that the boy happens to be Kurt." Jean said to her.

Wanda said, "Yeah. Do you know any more than that? It would help me if you did."

"Yes, I know that you two are getting closer. And I sense that you have deep feelings for him." Jean said back.

Wanda nodded. "I think. I have no clue where this is all coming from."

"It's understandable that you'd be confused about those feelings. I'll try to help as much as I can." Jean said.

"I'm very confused. I've never felt this way about anyone. Ever." Wanda paused. "I don't even know what these feelings really are."

"Well, let me ask you something so we can make sense of this: how do you feel inside when you're around Kurt?"

Wanda had to think for a little bit. When she was around Kurt she felt oddly. But in a good way. It was hard to describe. She figured she'd try her best to put it into words.

"My heart beats faster, I know that for sure. And if I'm standing sometimes I feel that I need to sit or my knees will buckle. Um, I even breath more intensely. I don't know if he notices that. Another thing is that my stomach gets all funny. It's almost like this feeling of nervousness, but it's not bad."

Jean listened to her and took in everything. Finally she said, "I felt the same way for Scott. And I still have those feelings around him. At times they can get so intense."

"You're in love with Scott, I know that. So, does this mean that I'm in love with Kurt?" Wanda replied. And just thinking about Kurt made her heart race, her breathing speed up and caused her stomach to flutter.

"It's possible. I feel that you are at least falling in love with him. You could already be in love. I can sense how you both feel when you're around each other."

Wanda stared at Jean. "Does he have the same feelings for me?"

"That I can't tell you. Sorry but I wouldn't feel right doing so. Only he can let you know that. But go with what you feel. And follow your heart."

"That's all?"

"Unfortunately, yeah. I don't know what more to say. Love is a tricky subject. What's right for one person may be completely wrong for another. However, you do have the right symptoms. So there is something there for sure." Jean explained.

Neither of the girls spoke for a good while. Wanda was allowing everything to sink in. Jean just stayed silent and waited.

Wanda finally looked at her. "Should I ask him how he feels when around me?"

Jean responded, "I don't see what harm it would do. But maybe if you feel out of place by telling him verbally, you could tell him physically."

"What do you mean?" Wanda was somewhat confused.

"You could kiss him. Nothing major. A peck on the lips would do fine." Jean told her.

"I've already kissed him on the cheek. So I don't think that would be a problem." Wanda stated.

Jean smiled. "I think that you should go for it then."

"I only hope that my problems with Rogue won't stir up again. It's one thing being friends with Kurt, but if we end up dating she may be totally out to get me." Wanda told her.

Jean shook her head. "Don't let that bother you. Even at that, you two could sort of keep it on the down-low for a little bit. Perhaps until you prove to Rogue that you are trustworthy."

Wanda finally smiled. "Yeah. That could work."

"Is that everything? Or is there something more you'd like to talk about?" Jean asked her.

Wanda thought for a few moments. "I hope this isn't too personal, but I've heard you and Scott. You know, having sex."

"Oh, you did?"

"Who hasn't?" Wanda cracked a small joke.

Jean laughed. "I don't know. I'm sure everyone here has heard us. It's hard to be quiet though."

"He's a good lover, huh?" Wanda asked.

Jean smiled. "Oh yeah. He definitely knows what to do. Perhaps one day you and Kurt can experience that type of feeling."

Wanda's eyes widened. "I've never really thought about having sex with him. Not that I wouldn't."

"If you are in love and you date, eventually you'll make love. And if you'd have any questions about anything I'll be here for you. Don't feel embarrassed either. There's nothing to be ashamed about. I assume that would be your first?"

"Most certainly, yes. But that will be a long while from now. Even so, I'll come to you for sure."

"Good."

Wanda smiled and said, "So, Scott makes you feel really good?"

"Yes." Was all Jean could say. "I'd say more but I might need to go attack him."

They both laughed. Wanda was glad she went to Jean. It was much less awkward than she thought it would be. Jean was really down to earth and open-minded.

They went quiet again, just thinking. And they had smiles on their faces still. That conversation went well.

Jean decided to ask, "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss at the moment?"

"I think that's all for now. If I have more questions I'll definitely let you know."

"You do that. I had no problem helping as much as I can. I'll always be here. As you know now, you can talk to me about 'anything' you want."

"Thanks. Well, I'm going to go now." Wanda said.

Jean nodded. "Okay. It was really nice talking with you."

"The feeling's mutual." Wanda got up to leave.

Jean said, "Oh, good luck with Kurt."

"Thank you. See you later." Wanda then left Jean's room.

Jean remained in her room afterwards. She did enjoy having that conversation with Wanda. It was great that she wasn't too afraid to come to her. Jean loved to help people. She so hoped that all would work out well. And she also hoped that that conversation would form a bond between her and Wanda. She knew Wanda was sincere about being an X-Men. Her and Xavier knew. But for the others Wanda would have to prove herself.

**

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It was late evening and things at the mansion were settling down. Many were getting ready for bed, considering most had to get up for school the following morning. Even though Rogue had to get up early she wasn't quite ready to go to bed yet. She looked at her clock and it read 9:30PM. She wasn't utterly tired. Kitty was already in bed and asleep.

Rogue got bored and left the room. She sneaked off towards Remy's room. When she got to his door it was open, so she peaked in. She scanned over the room but didn't see him inside. Still she ventured in and stood in the middle of the room. She allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"Where tha hell is he?" She said quietly to herself.

Suddenly she felt someone grab her from behind. She shrieked out in surprise. As soon as she felt a kiss on her neck and heard, "Gotcha", she knew exactly who it was.

"Damn you, Swamp Rat. Ya scared the shit outta me." She exclaimed.

He grinned. "Sorry, _Cherie_. Remy couldn't help it."

After he let her free she swat him on the arm. "Don't do that. Ya know I hate it when ya sneak up on me."

The grin never left his face. "That's why I do it."

She gave him a look of annoyance. She then said, "Are ya doin' anything tonight?"

"_Non_. Jus' hangin' around. Why?"

"Well, I was thinkin' that maybe we could hang out. Plus now I gotta make ya pay for that little sneakin' up on me stunt. " She replied.

Remy stared at her and said, "Mmm, I love when you make me pay."

"Oh I know you do. And this time around you'll really love it." She said with a sultry grin.

He smirked at her but said nothing for a bit. Finally he said, "I hope I won't have t' wait too long."

"It shouldn't be that long of a wait. I promise ya that." She was still grinning.

He smirked at her again. He knew she was up to something, he just didn't quite know what. But he would find out soon enough.

Rogue wanted their gathering to be more personal. So she walked over and shut his door. He stared at her with a raised eyebrow. A lot of things were dancing through his mind like "What's she up to?" and "Why did she close my door?". Then she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him onto his bed.

He gave her an odd expression. "What's goin' on?"

"Nothin'. Can't a girl wanna little privacy?" She stated.

"Yeah. But it looks as if you wanna tell me somethin', _Cherie_. I know you better than you may think."

Remy caressed her face and their eyes locked. It was like they were trying to read one anothers' thoughts. They appeared to be gazing into the depths of their souls. Their stare drew them closer and closer. Rogue leaned forward and said, "I want you." And then her lips crashed against his in a hungry kiss. Ever since she could touch she's been so passionate with anything involving touch. At that moment she wanted him so badly that she couldn't think of anything else. All she wanted was to feel his body next to hers. But this time she wanted it all. She yearned to become one with him. Her arms were around his neck and his were around her waist. And she straddled him making the moment even more fervent.

Their kissing increased. Usually Remy was the one to make the moves, but not this time. Rogue completely threw herself at him. After a few minutes of hot, passionate kissing things started to heat up even more. Their kissing intensified so much that they both felt they'd hit the roof. As their tongues wrestled their hands wandered all over one anothers' bodies. Rogue was still extremely sensitive to touch so she was easily turned on. As they kissed she moaned into his mouth from time to time, triggering his own arousal. She knew that she was going down a one-way street. And she didn't even think once about turning back.

Remy had never felt for anyone they way he felt for Rogue. She was the very first girl he ever truly loved. He loved her for the person she was. And she was his world. If he ever lost her he didn't think that he could survive. He's wanted to make love to her for such a long time. But he was a gentleman. He knew she wasn't ready before. And as much as he had been addicted to sex prior to being with her he managed to stuff those feelings aside. He was sure she felt just as much love for him. In fact, he knew she did. Everything she did told him so.

They pulled apart briefly to catch their breath. Remy said. "Are you certain you're ready?"

"Remy, I'm positive that I'm ready for this." She stared at him with pure sexual hunger. She then added, "Just shut up and kiss me, Cajun."

He stared deeply into her emerald eyes as she stared back into his hypnotic black and red eyes. Neither of them said another word. They pressed back together and resumed heavily making out. Soon clothes were coming off quite rapidly. Rogue was pretty much stripping herself and Remy. She felt not one ounce of awkwardness. Now that they were both naked their hands explored each others' bodies a whole lot easier.

Remy had long laid back and Rogue was laying over top of him. They had made out for a good five minutes and she decided to go to the next level. She moved her lips down his body; from his neck, to his chest and down. He moaned a little as she teased him, but before she could give him oral sex he stopped her.

He looked down at her. "_Non Cherie_, this night is all about you." He motioned for her to lay down on her back.

Rogue stared at Remy, but she did as he said. Once she was situated he towered over her and then laid on her. He kissed her mouth for a bit. While he did so she let out small moans. He then traced his lips down her neck. When he reached her breast he remained there for quite some time kissing, licking, sucking and fondling. Everything he did sent sensual shivers up and down her back and caused her to moan more. As he slid one hand down and caressed her sensitive areas she let out an even louder moan. It was clear that she was highly turned on. So he decided to move his lips down futher. In no time his mouth was on her private area and he was orally stimulating her. Every now and then he'd switch it up and use both his finger and tongue. He was sending her to the edge.

As Remy continued Rogue moaned out in pleasure and she even let out small gasps at times. She's felt that before, but for some reason it felt even better that night. Her fingers were tangled in his long hair and at times she would clutch onto it, careful not to pull to hard. The way it was going it didn't take long for her to orgasm. After she released he move back up and kissed her. She ran her fingers down from his hair to his back as they kissed. And after they made out a bit longer he reached into his night stand and pulled out a condom.

Their eyes met again. She knew what was coming next and she was so excited to do it. She's waited so long. But finally she would get to make love to the man she loved. She knew he loved her just as much. His actions spoke louder than his words.

Rogue broke the silence. But only to say in a sultry tone, "Can I put that on ya?" She licked her lips seductively.

Remy smirked and gave her a flirtatious look. "No problem."

Rogue took the condom, unwrapped it and placed it carefully over his hard on. When it was in place she laid back and he laid over her. They gazed romantically into each others' eyes. As their eyes stayed locked Remy gradually eased himself into her. Her face twisted in discomfort. It hurt, but not enough for her to make him stop. Once he was in the whole way he paused, allowing her to get used to the feeling. In a short bit he slowly moved, being as careful as possible. Her facial expressions started to get less tense. She traced her hands up and down his back as he gently made love to her. Within in a few minutes she no longer felt the pain. All she could feel was pleasure. It was something that she never imagined she'd even experience. But her she was and it was amazing.

She soon told him to speed up some. So he did. Beforehand she was softly moaning, but that changed. She began to get louder and louder. She kind of hoped that no one heard her. Especially Logan. Either way he'd probably figure it out. But she didn't care. She was in the 'here and now' mindset. All she wanted to think about was her and Remy and how great she was feeling.

Since this was her first time and it was a school night they didn't get too creative. However, Remy did allow her to take over towards the last part of their love-making. Rogue started off ineptly, but with his help it didn't take long for her to get better.

Subsequently they met their climaxes. Rogue went first. Shortly after Remy released. They laid there wrapped up in each others' arms catching their breath. They remained that way in complete silence for some time.

They got under the covers and finally Remy said, flirtatiously, "Next time I'll teach you some really good techniques."

Rogue grinned back at him. "OK. I'm open to learn."

They shared a warm kiss and continued to cuddle. He asked, "Are you stayin' wit' _moi_ tonight?"

"Of course." She snuggled up as close to him as she could. "I love you so much, Remy Lebeau."

He smiled. "I love you too, Rogue. Don't ever forget."

With that all said they laid there until they slipped off to sleep. It was midnight at that point. As they slept with their bodies entwined they both wore a smile upon their faces. It took a while but they finally stepped their relationship up further. Neither one of them regretted it one bit.

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Well, I hope you like the new chapter:) There's not a whole lot more to go with this story. At least two more chapters. Please leave a review. I would really appreciate some reviews:) Thanks:) I will try and get a new chapter up soon:) Take care:)


	19. Memorable Moments

**Chapter** **Eighteen**

Monday morning came by in a hurry. The Xavier Institute was fairly calm since all of the high school students, aside from Rogue and Kurt, had left. Kurt's alarm never went off, so he overslept. And Rogue was tired from all the fun she had with Remy the night before. Neither of them had time to get any breakfast. All they did was have something quick to drink and they were about to head off. Jean wasn't going to be busy so she stopped them and volunteered to drive them to school. That way they wouldn't be overly late. They excepted her offer and the three were currently in the garage.

Before they got into Jean's SUV they all heard Professor X's voice in their heads. He said telepathically, _"Jean, Rogue, Kurt, suit up and hurry to the rec room. We have a problem."_That was all he told them. They all stared at one another, but followed Charles' instructions. Kurt and Rogue had no idea to what was going on. But Jean, on the other hand, had a bad feeling. She knew something wasn't right.

The three quickly made their way back up to the main level. As they did so they saw some of their teammates coming out of their own rooms. Everyone they saw looked tense. They knew that whatever Charles was going to tell them wasn't going to be good news.

Warren was among them. He was heading down the stairs as Jean, Rogue and Kurt were heading up. Jean looked at him and asked, "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

He shook his head and said, "No. But clearly something is going amiss. Professor X informed us all to change. He didn't give details. He only told us to meet in the rec room."

Kurt and Rogue stayed silent, mainly for lack of words. They all had the same questions. But Jean said back to Warren, "Okay. This is obviously of great relevance. We'll see you in a few minutes."

They then went their separate ways. Jean, Rogue and Kurt rushed to their rooms to get their uniforms on. In only a short moment they were ready. They met up by coincidence. And ran into Wanda, who was already half-way down the stairs.

Wanda could hear them talking and coming down behind her. She turned around to see who exactly it was. She to had a uniform, which was similar to the one she wore while with the Brotherhood. Only this one had the X symbol on the belt. "Hi." She said. And then she added, "I think I know what the problem is."

Rogue gave her a strange look. "What, are you psychic now?" Even though it was more or less a joke it came out sounding satirical.

Wanda glowered a little. "No, it's just that I have this feeling that this is about my father."

"Magneto." Kurt said, not with surprise for it was very plausible.

Jean said, "She may be right. He's been hiding away for a while now. It's about time for him to make a move."

They were nearly at the rec room. Rogue and Kurt forgot all about school at that point. This was something they were extremely used to. But it hasn't happened for quite some time. Lately they hadn't needed to put on their uniforms on a school day, unless they had an extra early 'Logan Session'. Or if they did some training after school, which was their usual time to train.

Wanda, Jean, Kurt and Rogue finally entered the rec room. They had that feeling of dread. And from the expressions on their other teammates' faces the feeling was reciprocal.

Magneto attacking them was a good intuition. The only way Xavier would ever have them miss school was for a really important cause. Something serious was about to happen. They all knew that they'd be more than likely going into battle that morning. All of the X-Men that remained at the mansion were suited up, including Laura and Jamie. Of course so was Wanda. With all of the others at school Professor Xavier knew he had to include them in. He had faith that they would do well. He knew for sure that Laura would, she was so identical to Logan. And this would give Wanda a great chance to prove where she truly stood.

At this time everyone was standing in the room awaiting for the details. Charles looked at his X-Men. He knew that what he was about to tell them was bound to happen sooner or later. Especially after Wanda joining. And now was the time. As soon as he saw that they were all there he addressed them, "It's unfortunate that everyone isn't present, but I do not wish to pull the others out of school. Rogue, Kurt, do not worry. I will make up an excuse for your absence. Nevertheless, I do need each and every one of you that stands before me." He paused briefly. "Let's get right to the point. Magneto is planning his attack today. I don't know if he is aware that I know, but I picked up some thoughts from Pietro."

Logan cut in, "Yeah, Chuck and I were outside talkin' this morning and I caught of whiff of him. The little punk was sneakin' around. But Chuck here sensed him and picked up on his thoughts."

Xavier resumed talking. "Yes. Thank you, Logan." He smiled and proceeded, "We do not want Magneto and his acolytes to know that we are going to be prepared for their 'surprise attack' today. Now that you are all ready, all we can do is wait. According to what I found in Pietro's mind, he was sent here to check out the premises."

Wanda clenched her fists and she scowled. "I knew it!" Her anger was at the boiling point. She couldn't wait to face-off with her father, her brother and all of those other imbeciles. She then looked at the Professor.

"But how were you able to read Pietro's mind? I thought his speed prevented detection?"

"Well, let's just say he was a bit careless this morning. He apparently thought that no one was nearby." Professor X told her with a little smile.

Hank spoke next. "Pietro's carelessness came to a great advantage to us. While we do not know the entirety of this, we at least know the gist of it."

Ororo sighed, "So, all we do now is wait?"

"I'm afraid so." Professor X said. He looked at his wall clock. "It's 9:30. We have at least a half hour before the planned attack, if Pietro's thoughts weren't misleading. But I wanted you all to be ready, to play it safe. If Magneto knows that we know he could make his move sooner and still catch us by surprise. Trust me when I say I know how that man's mind works, even without having to read it."

Wanda knew that all too much. She nodded, the scowl never left her face. She feared this day. But she never had any doubts that it would happen. However, even with the fear she felt joy. Finally she'd be able to prove to the X-Men that she was truly one of them. Her days of wreaking havoc were over. Unless it was against Magneto and his group.

Nearly everyone began talking as they waited to see what was going to take place. Xavier, Ororo, Logan and Hank spoke quietly. Wanda, Jean, Scott, Kurt, Rogue, Remy and Warren carried on a little conversation. Jamie and Laura had a few words here and there. The only one who stayed quiet was Piotr. He usually kept to himself. Lately he's done more things among the others. But he still didn't talk much.

No matter what conversation was taking place they were all along the same lines. The subject was Magneto. Not one of them, including Charles, knew exactly what would be in store. But what everyone did know was that Magneto always made his plans as carefully as possible. Pietro messed up though by not being precautionary. That was bad for Magneto yet good for the X-Men.

After fifteen minutes passed all of the conversing stopped and the room was silent. Scott had a question that he was sure everyone probably would like to be answered. So he asked, "Professor? Is there a plan for this?"

Professor X looked at him and to the others. "No. Just do what you must. And as always, be careful. I'm sure I do not need to go into details. You all know that you must keep an eye out for not only yourselves but also for the rest of the team. Even the newest additions should know that by now. I am highly confident that you will all do well. But no matter what the outcome is I will always be very proud of each and every one of you just for doing your best. That's all anyone can do, for nobody is perfect. Not even me."

Xavier looked at the clock again, as did many of the others. It was 9:50. Just as he opened his mouth to speak again he closed it. He picked up on the occupancy of Magneto's crew. Clearly he didn't sense Magneto himself due to the helmet. But he knew that he was there somewhere amongst his acolytes. He always was.

The Professor wore a serious look as he said, "It's time. Remember what I said. I know that all of your powers have blossomed quite well, but never underestimate Magneto. And while I'm not going to be out there with you I'll be easy to reach." He smiled.

Jean nodded and said, "What if Mastermind is too strong for me to stop. My powers are much more potent than before, but still."

Xavier replied, "I'm sure you will do fine. If not, summon me." He smiled at Jean and she smiled back at him. "And with the combined powers Magneto shouldn't have a chance. There are thirteen of you and only five of them." He paused and rechecked. "Correction, six of them. It seems that Fred Dukes has joined Magneto."

Wanda said with pure hatred, "No surprise there."

The others who knew Fred agreed with her. It didn't surprise them either. But Todd Tolansky and Lance Alvers were not with Magneto. Wherever they were they apparently decided to not get involved with the battles anymore. Todd was still infatuated with Wanda, even though she was way out of his league. Lance remained friends with Kitty and perhaps had some feelings for her still. However, they chose to just be friends. Being a couple wasn't cutting it.

"Well, best of luck, my X-Men. As I said, I'll be here if I'm needed." Xavier told them.

Professor Xavier remained behind while the X-Men all made their way out of the rec room. They then headed towards the foyer and were outside in no time at all. They knew they were in for a challenge. Even if it was at the institute there was a huge amount of land. Since they didn't know the actual plan they knew that anything could happen. They had to stay alert at all times.

They searched the premises briefly, no signs of Magneto or his team could be found. Obviously they were all there though. Xavier said they were. And there's no way they'd just up and leave.

Ororo said, "There's an extremely lucid reason to why Quicksilver was snooping around here this morning. It had to have been to get a quick visual of the area."

Hank replied with, " So it seems since none of them are in view. They must have planned to be quite secretive in this battle."

"Really? I wouldn't have noticed." Rogue said sarcastically, but she added a touch of a smile. She wasn't trying to be rude.

Hank smiled back. "Sarcasm is such a good quality." He joked.

She smiled. "Thanks."

Warren lifted off of the ground and flew over them. He scanned the area from above. In a few seconds he landed and declared, "You might wanna check this out." He said nothing else.

They all looked at him and then one another, initially they went with him to see what he found. When they were all in the location that he saw from overhead they too saw what he did. On the other side of the mansion sat the enormous metal orbs that Magneto and his followers traveled around in. They were all empty. None of them knew where they were hiding. But it wouldn't be too hard to find them with Jean's telepathy and the heightened senses of Logan and Laura. And not to mention Hank. Even though Xavier stayed in the shadows they knew he'd be there for them. If necessary. He would telepathically inform the others of anything mysterious. And they would do the same for him.

"So where are they?" Jamie asked.

Remy walked up to one of the orbs and glanced into it. The others weren't far behind him. He said with a smirk, "No idea _petit ami_, but Gambit's glad he don't have t' ride around in Magneto's giant metal balls anymore."

Jamie laughed and so did some of the others. A few didn't seem to pay attention. Rogue was extremely close to him, so she just shook her head and grinned. "Go figure that you'd say somethin' like that."

"I couldn't resist, _mon cherie_."

Wanda was highly irritated by the fact that Magneto planned out schemes like this but always had to hide. With a murderous expression painted upon her face she yelled, "Where are you, you coward?! Come out and fight like a man!" When nothing happened she shouted, "You're _all_ cowards!"

Kurt stepped over to her. "Wanda, calm down. You'll get your chance. You just have to be patient."

"I don't _want_ to be patient. I want to show my father _and_ my brother that I'm _not_ going back. I'll _never_ be like them." She retorted, her anger was tremendously elevated.

Jean made her way towards them. "You will be able to prove yourself, very soon." She then turned her attention to everybody. "I have located all of them, except for Magneto. But Beast, Wolverine and Talon are going to hunt him down. They just took off. Once he's been spotted we'll be notified."

Warren said, "But what if Magneto never touched the ground? His sent can't be picked up without a trail."

Scott said back, "Good point. Let's just hope that they find him."

Warren nodded. This was definitely going to be difficult. But they knew they could do it. They've been in tough places many times before. At least they were on their own turf, even if it was still a benefit of doubt.

"So what now?" Wanda asked.

"We wait. And do whatever we must to stay safe." Jean explained.

Just then a huge ball of fire came flying towards them. It was aimed at Jean. She hurried and slowed it down with her telekinesis, but she couldn't extinguish it. She screamed, "Storm! Make it rain! Hurry!"

"I'm on it!" Ororo yelled back. She rose off of the ground as quickly as possible. Her eyes turned white and the sky started to cloud up, making it darker. Soon it was raining. Once the rain poured down the fire was out. Ororo remained in the air in case John attempted another attack.

Scott, Remy, Rogue, Jamie and Piotr all joined Kurt, Jean and Wanda. Jean was a bit dazed from holding the fire back. At that moment everything got quiet, too quiet.

Shortly that all changed. Another attack was sent at Jean. But this time it was from Blob, who hurled an gigantic log in her direction. The only one who saw it coming was Piotr. With his body already transformed, he jumped in front of Jean and the log hit him in the chest. All the compact did was cause him to slightly stumble. The log fell at his feet.

Jean said, "Thanks. That was a close one."

He nodded and said, "You're welcome." He then said, "It would seem that Magneto has more than one plan."

Rogue said, "Yeah, I'm guessin' that gettin' rid of tha telepath is on tha list."

"That sure sounds logical." Jean said. She looked around.

Wanda was furious. "Yes. And I believe it to be quite true. We're all standing here, yet _you're_ the only one that's getting attacked."

Kurt was standing there and he kept gazing down at his wrist, checking the clock on his image inducer. "It's taking them a long time to find Magneto." He stated with concern.

Jamie didn't know what else to do or say at the moment, so he simply made a suggestion. "One of us should summon them."

"He's right, what if something went wrong? We all know what Magneto can do to Wolverine. Surely he wouldn't hesitate to do the same to Laura, or I should say 'Talon'. And Beast could have been knocked out. Perhaps they all are for all we know." Scott clarified and his eyes flashed behind his visor.

Remy scowled. "_Oui_. He'd do anything t' get what he wants."

"I've got to agree, comrade." Piotr said.

All of the talk about Magneto was making Wanda even more enraged. "He would. And I know it."

They all had communication devices, but Scott made the move first. "Okay, her goes." He pushed the button on it and said, "Wolverine, Beast, Talon, are you all okay?"

From above Ororo could see that something didn't seem right. She descended down and walked over to the others. "Is something wrong?"

Piotr took the opportunity to speak again, "We're not sure yet. Cyclops summoned Wolverine, Talon and Beast. We're waiting for a reply."

"Yeah, but they should have responded by now." Rogue said feeling uneasy. Her stomach felt like it was doing flip-flops.

Jean looked around, she felt tense and she too felt sick to her stomach. She sensed that something had gone awry. "I'll see if I can telepathically reach them." She placed her fingertips to her temples, closed her eyes and concentrated hard.

After about a minute she opened her eyes and a worried expression washed over her face. "They're in the wooded area. For the most part they're fine. But somehow they are all knocked out cold. I didn't find anyone else in that area though."

Ororo's face contorted with a look of horror. "I have a hunch that Magneto is keeping Mastermind close at hand. He probably had him mess with their minds."

"Damn it!" Scott cried out with anger. "If we don't stop them soon we'll _all_ be knocked out!"

Wanda glared ahead. "And my dear old father just may be able to take me back. But _not_ without a fight. I got away before because I used my powers on Mastermind, him and those other morons. I won't hesitate to do it again. And this time I _won't_ hold back on anything."

"Just be certain that you do not kill any of them." Ororo said firmly. "After all, you are an X-Man and we do not kill. We try our hardest to avoid it."

"I'm aware of that. I won't kill them. I'll just hurt them." Wanda looked largely hostile. She couldn't help it.

Warren decided he'd try to make the moment somewhat soothing. "I don't think we'll have to worry that much. Wolverine and Talon shouldn't be down too long? With their healing factor wouldn't that make them snap out of it?" He said.

Jean gazed at him. "That's quite true. And even Beast has some healing abilities. Regardless, we should get to them right away."

Scott took over by saying, "And we must all stick together, that way if we're attacked we'll be able to help each other more efficiently."

Everyone agreed. And then Remy had to crack a joke. He felt that a time like that really needed it. "We all know what happens t' those who wander off in horror movies." He then placed his index finger on his throat and ran it across it.

Some shook their heads while others laughed. They all found it pretty amusing. But it was time to be serious again and reach the others as quickly as they could. Jean led the way since she knew where they were. Everybody followed her into the wooded area.

Ten minutes later they found where Logan, Laura and Hank were. Laura was already conscious and Logan was coming around. Unfortunately Hank was still out.

Laura saw them coming and she said in a callous tone, "Magneto was here with Mastermind. We were all ambushed. They planned to take us out."

When Logan came around more he added, "Magneto had some fun tormenting us. Especially Talon and me."

"What a sicko." Wanda said harshly.

"Yeah. And he had Mastermind fuck with all of our minds. That's what took us down." Logan told them in a gruff tone.

Jean hurried over to Hank. She checked him and he was definitely still alive. Just unconscious. "Someone will have to carry him."

Piotr said, "Allow me. I'm strong enough." He then marched over and picked up Hank and carried him over his shoulder.

Logan and Laura both began to sniff the air. "We have company." Logan said in a deep, husky tone. It was more of a growl.

Sabretooth came jumping out from behind some trees. "I forgot that I can't fool a mut like you."

"Look who's talkin' you over-sized hairball." Logan said back with a snarl.

Sabretooth lunged forward and Logan prepared to engage in battle with him. But Logan wasn't the one he was after. He went for Laura. She cried out, a shrill animal-like cry, and leaped out of his way.

"Oh, I guess it's true. This little bitch _is _just like you, Wolverine. How disappointing. It was bad enough to have one of you." Sabretooth taunted.

Logan snarled again and pounced at him. "Don't ya _ever_ talk about her like that!" He tackled him to the ground and the two wrestled, clawing at one another.

When Sabretooth pinned Logan to the ground Laura jumped on him and dug all eight of her claws into his back. He growled and rolled off of Logan. After a good deal of struggling he knocked her off. She fell to the ground but quickly leaped back onto her feet. She lunged at him. But this time she wasn't quick enough and he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off of the ground.

Logan was already on his feet. "Put her down! Now!" He roared. His claws were still drawn from the previous scuffle.

Laura was clawing at Sabretooth's arms and trying to kick him, the claws on her feet were extended. He held her out far enough that she couldn't reach. The others were getting angry.

Ororo's paternal instinct kicked in and she screamed, "Leave - her - alone!" Her eyes began to glow white and the wind started blowing around them.

Sabretooth sneered at her. "Or what? You'll blow me?" He winked at her.

She glared back at him, but said nothing more. She created a storm and rain came pouring through the trees and down on them all. Shortly afterwards there were lightning bolts and they were aimed at him. One hit him and it was enough for him to drop Laura. She fell to the ground with a hard thud.

The others ran over towards Ororo, Laura, Logan and Sabretooth. Logan helped Laura off the ground and they walked away. Ororo took care of Sabretooth. She sent another lightning bolt at him and he was knocked out. One of Magneto's was down.

"He shouldn't be getting up for a while." Ororo stated. "Is she okay?"

Laura answered for herself. "I'm fine. Thanks." She grabbed Logan's hand and she then wrapped her arms around his waist. He hesitated but hugged her back.

She then moved over and did the same to Ororo. She returned the move right away. Of course she was more of the hugging type. Logan and Ororo glanced at each other and smiled briefly. Everyone else smiled too. It was a nice moment. Too bad that the circumstances didn't allow it to persist.

Logan said, "Well, I guess it's time to start sniffin' around again."

Laura nodded. As she and Logan did just that suddenly a ball of fire came out of nowhere and it nearly struck Kurt. Wanda pushed him out of the way. "Pyro!" She yelled in a cold tone.

Sure enough John came out from within the woods. "There can't be a party without a barbeque." He then laughed hysterically.

Soon the other acolytes came out and surrounded the X-Men. Magneto was the only one not present, aside from Sabretooth. Mastermind was visible but he stayed partially hidden. There were unmistakably more X-Men, but the woods would make it harder to fight. Magneto's plan was more than likely to get them into that location. He knew his team would be out numbered, so he had to make things more complicated. The trees allowed his crew to hide.

Pietro wore a sly grin. "Well, well, I see that you've taken down Sabretooth." He clapped his hands and said, "Bravo."

Fred laughed. "And look at this, there are three traitors in the group."

"There sure is." John said. "Why don't we start the barbecue and they can be the first on the menu?"

Pietro retorted. "You're sick, but I don't care what you do with Colossus and Gambit. Just don't harm Wanda. Magneto wants her alive. Remember?"

"I know, I know. I was just havin' some fun, mate." John said back.

Pietro was about to reply when Wanda ran at him at full speed with her eyes glowing red and she began to throw hex bolts at him. He kept moving out of her aim. "Wanda, you should know by now that I'm much faster than you. You'll never get me." He laughed.

She gave him a look of pure disgust. "Go to Hell! You and Father are so much alike, you're both worthless."

"If you weren't my sister I'd teach you some respect." He retorted.

"I'll show you some respect" Her eyes still glowed red as she continued tapping into her powers. She threw another round of hex bolts at him. But again he dodged them. He made certain that he wasn't near his teammates for he didn't want her to take any of them down.

"Pietro!" She screamed. She went off to find him. If she did he'd wish that she hadn't. Her eyes kept glowing and her powers were still ready for when she could take aim at him. She wouldn't give up either.

Pietro was far from Wanda now. His slyness kicked in and he had a plan for one of the X-Men. With a sneer on his face he raced to where Rogue was standing. Once he got close enough he slowed down and walked normally. Her back was towards him. And no one else had taken notice to him since they were occupied. But unfortunately for him he took a step forward and just as was about to grab her a twig snapped._ "Shit"_ he thought. She spun around and was prepared to fight him.

Rogue looked irritated. "What tha hell are ya tryin' ta do?"

Pietro stared at her with a smart-ass look on his face. "Hm, what do you think? I've heard that you've been able to touch. I wanted to cop a feel."

"Don't even think about it." She said coldly, making fists.

"Why? You afraid you'd like it too much?"

She glared at him. "No way, you're too pathetic."

"So you think. But I've heard that you're with Gambit? I could show you a better time." He knew he was making her more and more angry.

"Yeah, right. You'd probably be lousy." She said and she had a smirk on her face. _"Two can play this game"_ she thought.

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so. I've never had any complaints."

"Well, all I know is if ya screw with as much speed as when ya run then that's gotta be bad."

He grinned. "Not for me. But I can slow it down. Come over here and I'll show you." He pointed at a large area of underbrush.

She thought, _"Let the game begin"._ She still had a smirk on her face as she moved closer to him. "Really?" She pressed herself against him.

He wore a smug look upon his face. "So you're going to take up my offer after all?"

She placed her gloved hand on his face and ran her index finger down along his jaw and down his chest. She stopped right above his private area. He was breathing heavily.

"Yeah. Why not? I love gettin' touched. It feels so good." She flirted.

He said nothing for he was unable to talk. She moved her face towards his ear and whispered, "Are ya sure that it will be a moment to remember?"

"Of course. You'll never forget how good I'd make you feel."

She grinned, but said nothing. She looked at him with a sultry expression, just inches from his face. Her body was so close to his.

He was actually starting to feel aroused a little. "Are we going to do this then?"

She rubbed against him. "Sorry, but no. I've changed my mind." She said still smirking.

"What?!" He looked surprised.

She said, "Are ya crazy?"

"You were just playing me?" He was now irritated.

"Duh? But I think that maybe before ya do more with this battle ya should go over in that area and relieve yourself." She grinned knowing that she turned him on and was going to leave him hang.

He glared at her. "Bitch."

"Why thanks for tha compliment, sugar." She blew him a kiss.

Remy just noticed that Pietro was over with Rogue. He overheard some of the conversation and decided to walk over to them. "Are ya hittin' on my woman?"

"Yeah, I was. Gotta a problem with it?" Pietro said.

Remy pulled a card out. "Let's just say, actions speak louder than words. And from what I heard, you have a problem t' fix." He then said, "But since you had t' mess with my _cherie_ here's somethn' for you from _moi_." He charged the card and tossed it. Pietro sped off. "Chicken shit."

"I believe that I handled that myself." Rogue said to him.

"I know you did. But I love comin' to your rescue." He smirked at her. Then he took here hand and kissed it.

She smiled and hugged him briefly. "I love it too."

"B'sides, he needed to escape for a bit." He laughed.

Right after that Rogue and Remy both hurried back to the others when they heard Jean abruptly moan out in pain. Mastermind had attacked her mind. Scott reacted and shot a blast through his visor at him. It was only enough to break his concentration on Jean. He was so close and he didn't want to kill him. Scott said to Jean through their psychic connection, _"Telepathically contact the Professor. We will need him."_

She didn't say anything. She closed her eyes and said through her telepathy, _"Professor! Can you hear me?"_

_"Yes." _He responded.

_"Well, we need you now. Mastermind just attacked me. I don't think I can stop him. He seems more powerful than I remember. I know he'll do it again. Aah-uh!"_

He attacked her again, this time with even more force. And he began to reach deep into her memories. Bringing back horrible thoughts like he had done before when he attacked her. She moaned and her face distorted in great pain and she grasped her head.

"Jean!" Scott yelled.

Telepathically Charles said, _"Jean, are you okay?"_There was no reply. Her mind was in distress and he could sense it. Her legs were getting wobbly making it hard for her to stand on her feet.

That didn't matter to Mastermind for he didn't back down one bit. He kept on attacking her mind. She nearly fell hard to the ground, but Scott reached out and caught her. "You son-of-a-bitch!" He screamed. Jean was now unconscious.

Rogue tried sneaking up on Mastermind. Unfortunately he knew she was there and he focused his powers on her. He wasn't gentle with her either.

She clutched her head and groaned. "Stop! It hurts!" She screamed.

Remy ran to her and pulled out a bunch of cards. He charged them and tossed them at Mastermind. Fred moved in front of him right before they struck. Remy scowled. But Mastermind had stopped attacking Rogue. She was still holding her head and moaning. She fell to her knees and Remy knelt down and pulled her into his arms.

While Rogue was only stunned Jean was still out. Scott became agitated. "Gambit! Is Rogue okay?"

"_Oui, mon ami_. But she's weak. What about Jean?"

"She's unconscious." Scott held her close to him.

Nothing seemed to be turning out right. Jean was knocked out. Rogue wasn't going to be able to fight. Hank was still unconscious too. They still out numbered the acolytes, but that didn't seem to make their worries any less.

**

* * *

**

Meanwhile, at the same time at the mansion Professor X was prepared to help. But as he began to wheel himself towards the exit he all of a sudden couldn't get the wheels to move. It was like something locked them into place. "Magnus." He said to himself.

Finally he said out loud, "I know you're there, Erik."

Magneto stepped out from his hiding place. "Yes, Charles. I only came here for one purpose. And that is to claim what is rightfully mine. Wanda."

Xavier gazed up at him. "She doesn't want to go with you. She specifically told me and everyone else here, for that matter, that she never wants to be with you again."

"But she _will_ come back to me. I will _force_ her." Magneto said and her towered over Charles in a menacing manner.

Professor X remained calm. "You can not force one to do something they simply do not wish to do. Believe me, I've tried."

The master of magnetism laughed a short, evil kind of laugh. "Oh, Charles. You know so much yet so little. When you have someone on your side who can change memories, bending them at my will, anything is possible."

Xavier shook his head. "What has happened to you? I knew you were corrupted by society, and I can understand that to a point. But to harm your own daughter just so she's at your side is down-right sordid."

Magneto used his powers and pushed Xavier backwards in the chair. Not too hard, but enough to startle him.

"How _dare_ you. I only want her to be with me."

"But what you are doing is wrong. Her memories slowly but surely came back before. This time she may _never_ regain them."

"That's what I want. I don't want her to remember all of the bad times. I solely want her to love me and be by my side." Magneto stated.

The Professor replied, "Forcing her to be with you and implanting false memories is not the way to go about with it. That would harm her."

"How so? She would never know when it was finished."

"Magnus, that's besides the point. She has a right to be the person she chose to be. And to tamper with one's mind too much can be extremely unsafe. A great example is Logan. You know just as well as I do how disoriented he was. And he still doesn't know everything. That came from someone erasing his memories."

"True, but I don't want Wanda's memories erased. I want them replaced." Magneto affirmed.

Charles was starting to lose his cool a little. "Either way, it is wrong. And in my opinion it is selfish. If you truly love Wanda then you will not go through with that process. Let her be herself. Give her time and space. Perhaps one day you could try to convince her to talk to you. If you want to just be close to her then you must trust me on this."

"She would _never_ want to be around me on her free will alone."

"That's now. She could change her mind. But you need to allow her the chance to do so."

Magneto stood there. Complete silence fell over the room. He didn't know what to think. He wanted Wanda with him and he wanted to do whatever it took to achieve that goal. However, he honestly didn't want to harm her. He really did love her.

With or without his powers Xavier could see that Magneto was struggling. He said, "I will help you mend your relationship with her. You have my word."

Magneto looked down at him. "I don't know. That seems too good to be true."

"It may sound that way, but it's tremendously plausible." Xavier told him.

Magneto kept looking at Charles. He soon said, "If I decide to allow Wanda here, you had better keep that promise."

"Have I ever let you down?" Professor X said. Magneto's eyes were locked onto his. "Whether we are best friends now or not, all that matters is that we once were. We still have a special bond due to our past. When times get tough we always come together and things eventually work out. We may have chosen separate paths and have totally different aspects on life. But, we are still friends on some level. If not you would have done away with me long ago."

Magneto smiled slightly. He knew Xavier was right. He sighed, "Fine. I will allow you to do whatever you plan to do. However, if time passes and you do not pull through on your behalf then I will have no choice but to take her by force. Do you understand?"

"Of course I understand. And you have nothing to worry about. If I can get Wanda to at least not despise you, would that be good enough for a start?"

"Yes, that would be a great start. But how will you do it?"

Xavier smiled. "Don't you know me at all? I can give her therapy to help mend the open wounds that were left from her childhood. She still needs to heal. She's never had anyone love her. Or at least she doesn't believe to have had that. But mark my words, I won't lie when I say that this will take some time. Things like this can not be fixed overnight."

Magneto nodded. "I'll try to be as patient as possible. I'll check in with you in a couple of months. Hopefully there will be some progress. If only a little."

Charles talked Magneto into calling off the battle. It was enormously pointless to persevere. The Professor knew that Jean was unconscious. And at the moment he didn't know who else may be in harms way.

**

* * *

**

In the woods the X-Men were still fighting the acolytes. With all that time that had passed Jean was still out, but Hank had finally woken up. Rogue was better but not able to fight. Her head throbbed with incisive pain. Remy stayed close to her, which was near Scott and Jean. Scott wouldn't leave Jean's side, so Remy knew Rogue would be safe there if he had to fight.

Sabretooth had came back around and was battling both Logan and Laura. He was enjoying it too much. Hank and Piotr were kind of being watch-outs, in case something would come by that Remy missed.

John had numerously attempted to take out the X-Men. He aimed in the direction of Jean, Scott and Rogue, but hit Piotr. Nothing happened. His attack was complete waste. Shortly afterwards Jamie tricked Fred into running into John. He multiplied and when Fred came stomping towards him his multiples all began to vanish. John was standing nearby and Fred charged right into him. So John was out. That made Fred angry.

"You little punk." He said with rage. "You just made me take out one of my own."

Kurt high-fived Jamie. "Good one."

"Thanks."

Jamie and Kurt were standing by a tree and Fred charged at them both this time. "Nightcrawler, put your hand on my shoulder." Just as Fred was close enough to crash into them Kurt teleported himself and Jamie away from the area.

"Uh-oh." Fred mumbled as he smacked hard into the tree. With the force he used he ended up knocking himself out.

Jamie and Kurt both laughed. "Well, two down for now." Jamie said.

Warren saw them and smiled. "Nice, guys. Luckily his brain's the size of a pea or you wouldn't have pulled that off."

They all laughed. Now they waited for whatever would come next. They wouldn't have to worry about John or Fred for a while. Mastermind went into hiding again. With Jean unconscious they had no idea where he sneaked off to. He was their main worry. They knew that Sabretooth wouldn't attack them, he was too busy with Laura and Logan. Ororo jumped in to help those two. She managed to take him down before. But now she was tired so it may be harder. Wanda finally caught u with Pietro and they were arguing once more. He was trying to talk her into going with Magneto. He may be a total jerk but he preferred to not need to have his sister's mind messed with again. He was the reason that Mastermind backed off some. He told him to give him and Wanda some space.

"Wanda, please. Don't make this harder than it has to be. Father will get you whether you come willingly or not. It will be better for you, and all of us, if you don't keep fighting it."

Wanda scowled. "You already know what I'm going to say. So why waste your breath?"

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"I suppose that's just one quality that I picked up from our father." Wanda said and she balled her hands into fists.

Pietro glared at his sister. "I tried to do this nice and easy. But I guess it's not going to work out that way."

"You should have known."

"You know, you're a real bitch, Wanda."

That pissed her off. Her eyes glowed red as they they did before and she began to tap back into her hexing powers. "I'd watch what I say if I were you, Pietro. You really _don't_ want to fuck with me." She said with disdain.

"You can't get me if you can't catch up with me." He said in his speedy tone.

She looked as though she could kill him. But just when she went to strike him with a hex bolt he raced off. She growled, "Err, come back and fight me! You really are a damn coward, Pietro! And so is Magneto!"

Mastermind took that all as a signal to work his magic. He stepped up to her, but she already knew he was there. For some reason she just had a feeling. Her hands were all ready to throw her hex bolts. Before he could do anything she turned around and fired them right at him. It caught him off guard and he went flying back. He fell to the ground.

Almost at the same time Magneto and Charles appeared in the area where they were all fighting. No one took any notice that they were there. Wanda was waiting to see if Mastermind would try to attack her mind again. Logan and Laura were still battling with Sabretooth, they all had torn and blood stained uniforms. Ororo was only able to help so much. Scott was with Jean and Rogue still. Jean was finally coming around, but not strong enough to get up or anything. Hank and Remy were trying to trick Sabretooth into moving away from Ororo, Logan and Laura. Remy taunted him. Pietro was the first to see the Professor and his father.

"Father? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to . . . "

Magneto cut him off. "Everyone, stop!" He yelled.

The acolytes that weren't knocked out and the X-Men froze. Wanda gazed over and saw where the Professor and Magneto were. She glowered and gritted her teeth. "Magneto!" She then ran towards him and if not for Pietro stopping her she would have attacked him.

"Wanda, calm down." Magneto said. "Quicksilver, Sabretooth, Mastermind, come with me. Get Pyro and Blob."

Pietro said, "I'll get Pyro." He wondered what was going on.

Sabretooth then said, "That leaves me with tubby then. I hope I can lift him." He looked at Logan and Laura. "We'll continue this later."

"Sure thing, bub." Logan retorted in gruff voice.

"Should I attempt to enter the Scarlet Witch's mind?" Mastermind asked.

"No. We're going to go home." He replied.

Pietro was carrying John over his shoulder. "What?! Without Wanda? What is going on?"

"Yes. You'll find out soon enough. Let's go. Now!" He ordered.

His acolytes obeyed him. Pietro and Mastermind were the only ones who appeared to be confused. Sabretooth could care less, all he cared about was how he was going to carry Fred. Luck was on his side though for Magneto brought the huge metal orbs to them. So that solved the problem. He would only have to carry him long enough to place him into one.

Wanda was confused too. As were the rest of the X-Men. "I'll explain to you later." Xavier told them. He could not only see their confused expressions but he could hear their thoughts. They were overly loud.

Magneto got into his orb, his team was already in their orbs waiting to leave. Magneto said to Charles, "You had better hold your end of the deal. If nothing changes by the time I check in with you then things will get quite bad."

"I gave you my word, Erik, therefore I will keep it."

Magneto nodded. He took one last look at Xavier and then he glanced at Wanda. Soon his orb closed and all six orbs rose off of the ground and into the sky. Soon they were gone.

Scott picked Jean up. She was holding her head, but other than a massive headache she was fine. Everyone else was doing well too. Rogue felt much better. Her head wasn't bothering her nearly as much as Jean's was. Most were merely confused.

Everyone followed Professor X back to the mansion in silence. No one knew what to say. In around ten minutes, give or take, everyone was back in the rec room. Xavier told them to get comfortable. He was nervous about saying this since Wanda would hear it. But he would explain as thoroughly as possible why he chose to go through with this. It simply had to be done.

"Now that you're all seated I want to make sure that you're all able to comprehend what I'm about to say." He looked over at Scott and Jean. "How is Jean?"

Jean answered, "I'm okay. I think I'll be able to sit through this."

"Good. Alright then. Everyone else seems fine at the moment. Let's get this moving along. I know how confused you all are. Here's what happened . . . Jean had summoned me and informed me that you needed help. While she was connected with me, Mastermind attacked her mind. I was shut out briefly. But when I tried to contact her I got nothing. She wasn't responding. I knew something had gone amiss, so I was prepared to meet you all." He took a pause and then went on, "Magneto showed up and stopped me literally, I couldn't get my wheelchair to move. He told me that all he wanted was Wanda. Basically that meant he'd leave once he got her. Well, I made a promise to him." He placed his attention on Wanda. "Wanda, I know you may not like this, but it is very crucial for it to take place. My promise was to help heal your emotional and mental wounds. The ones that came from being locked away for all of those years."

Wanda's eyes were on his from across the room. "Heal my wounds? That would be nice, but something tells me that's not all you told him."

"You're right, my dear. Bear with me." He paused once more. The next part would very well upset her. "The rest of that promise was to bring you closer to him."

Wanda stood up with a frustrated expression upon her face. "What! I want _nothing_ to do with him! _You_ know that!"

Professor Xavier remained as calm as ever. "I know, but it's unhealthy to have this kind of relationship with him. I know that man more than you ever will. I know he loves you."

She shook her head. "If he did he wouldn't have put me in that asylum."

"He did that because he didn't know how to handle your powers, not because he didn't love you. At the time he honestly believed that that was the right thing to do. He feels indifferent now and wants to make it up to you." Xavier explained.

She had no idea what to think. She was furious with Magneto for what he did to her. Not to mention he messed with her mind before and nearly did it again. "But I can't trust him. I loath him so greatly."

"That's why I'll be giving you therapy, it will heal your wounds so that you can't learn to forgive him. But at your own pace. So rest assured, you won't have to crash full speed into any of this. I have a great deal of patience. All I need from you is for you to have faith in me." He told her.

She was still hesitant. Kurt could tell she really didn't want to go along with it. He placed his arm around her shoulder. "Wanda, this coud be a very good thing for you. The Professor said that you're father loves you. And he did those more recent things to make up for the lost time. He wants to be with you. He went about it the wrong way, still he deserves some credit."

"Kurt, I don't know if I can do it. How can I get close to someone I despise with ever fiber of my being?" She said.

He hugged her and whispered in her ear. "If I can take a chance with Mystique then you can do the same with Magneto."

She smiled and returned his embrace, whispering back, "Thanks. But Magneto is far worse than Mystique."

Kurt couldn't deny that. He nodded because while he didn't quite understand to the full extent, he at least had some comprehension of how she felt. "Whatever you choose, I'll be here for you."

"I appreciate that . . . a lot." She told him with a smile.

Wanda did not want to go through with it. She resented her father so much. Even though Kurt gave her inspiration she still knew she would probably never get over what Magneto did to her. She did trust Charles and knew that his therapy sessions just might be a great thing for her.

She was still angry. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes she said, "Professor, I'll do the therapy. But just to help heal my inner wounds. I do not care to do anything more." She paused and continued with, "When do we start?"

Professor X smiled. "I'm very pleased with your answer. I'll respect your wishes and will not push you to do more than what you care to do. You've matured nicely and being an X-Man has helped you a lot already." He then answered her question. "We can start as soon as you're ready. How about tomorrow morning?"

"That'll be fine. Just keep in mind that this will be as hard on you as it will be on me." She smiled slightly.

"Oh, I know. And you keep this in mind, whatever happens I will not give up on you." He smiled back at her. "I never give up on any of my children."

He was glad she decided to get the therapy. And he knew that once her mental and emotional wounds were healed, if even a little, that perhaps she could start learning to forgive Magneto. If he could get her to not be filled with such pure hatred for her father then everything else would fall into place. Slowly, but surely.

Wanda felt happy to hear that she wouldn't be pressured to do more than she wanted. He honestly considered her to be an X-Man. He even called her one of his children. She was at a place where people truly cared about her. And not only for her powers. That was a wonderful feeling for her. She knew from that day on that things would get better and better, no matter what was thrown her way.

**

* * *

**

Much later that day everybody was either just hanging out or, if they were high school students, finishing up on homework. The only ones who weren't exactly hanging out were Ororo, Logan and Laura. Ororo was in the Danger Room's control room watching Laura and Logan. Even though they had to fight earlier those two still wanted some training. It was more of Logan's idea. He wanted to see how much potential that Laura really had. They trained for about an hour and he was impressed. He always was with her. She passed every simulation with flying colors.

Ororo couldn't help but smile from where she was. Laura was definitely something special. Logan usually was the one to get everything completed before others did. But in this case Laura out did him. She had come such a long way from being the angry teen-aged girl that first arrived at the institute. She still had her issues but they were less prominent. It was so clear to everyone that she was happier. She became a true teenager. For the most part.

Logan and Laura were done with the training session and Ororo met them outside of the Danger Room. "You both did a great job." She said.

"Yeah, but she kicked my ass a bit." Logan said back.

Laura gave him a funny look and said "A bit? I totally beat you down."

"I let you." He told her with a grin.

She shook her head. "No, you're just getting old. I can't believe you didn't see that huge, round thing with the spikes coming at you."

"I had dirt in my eye." He replied gruffly.

"Sure. I think you're just slow." She teased.

Ororo was smiling nonstop. "I see that she is more like you than I thought."

"I know. And how scary is that?" He then turned back to Laura who had a smug grin on her face. "Little girl, ya better be ready for a rematch."

"Oh I'm ready. But don't call me little girl. I'm not little." She said.

He stared at her. "To me you are." He then came back with, "O.K. then, I'll call ya runt. How's that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She was certainly more like a teenager. "When is this rematch, old man?" She grinned at him.

"Tomorrow. I'll get you up bright and early." He couldn't help but grin at her.

Laura said, "Didn't it bother you that I called you 'old man'?"

"Nope. I've been called much worse. Trust me." He told her. He then said, "But you're one of the few that could call me that and not taste some adamatium."

They all smiled. It appeared that they were getting closer and closer. They try to spend as much together as they can. And that's what they were planning on doing at the moment.

It was fairly late in the evening so they chose to not go anywhere. There was plenty to do at the mansion. However, after fighting and then training just hours afterwards Logan thought it would be nice to just chill. Ororo came up with the idea that they could spend the evening outside. So she, Logan and Laura went to the kitchen to get some hot drinks. It was late Spring, but the nights did get chilly. Logan figured he'd have coffee, though he would have preferred a beer. Even if it was cold he could handle it. But beer, or any alcohol, wasn't allowed in the institute. He has learned to respect that with a few mess-ups in the past. Ororo and Laura could have coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Once the drinks were ready they would go out and sit on the steps or around the fountain, whichever, it didn't matter to them. It was a great plan because it was a clear night and they all loved being outdoors.

Once they made it to the kitchen they saw that it was occupied. But only by Wanda. She never even took notice to them for she was sitting at the table with her head in her hands. They couldn't tell if she was just sitting like that or if she may have been crying. She's not one to cry, especially if someone could see her. But who knows.

Ororo and Logan looked at one another. "I wonder if somethin's wrong?" Logan said.

"I don't know. Give me a moment." Ororo told him.

He nodded. "I'll get the drinks."

Ororo gave him an odd look. _"You're_ going to get our drinks prepared?"

"Yeah. Ya know I ain't the talkin' type." Obviously he didn't want to sit down and talk to Wanda. He had difficulty talking to the ones he felt close to. There was no way he could talk to her. He then added, "So, what would ya like, darlin'?"

She smiled. "Tea would be nice. Thanks." She replied.

"No problem." As Ororo headed over to Wanda, Logan asked Laura, "Coffee, right?"

She had to think for a little while. She said after a number of seconds passed, "Actually no, I'll have tea too."

"I thought you were a coffee person?"

"I like coffee, but I also like tea." She smiled at him.

"I see. Then it's two teas and one coffee comin' right up." He smiled back awkwardly. He still felt quite odd when trying to be fatherly.

Laura stayed with Logan and helped him get things together. It was another great way for them to interact. She loved doing simple things like that. And it gave her yet more of a feel of what normal teenagers do and how families work.

As they got the drinks prepared Ororo sat down across from Wanda. She still hadn't looked up. "Wanda, sweetheart. Are you okay?"

Wanda finally glanced up. It definitely didn't appear that she had been crying. But she wore a discouraged expression. "I really don't care to talk about it."

"I know you're not used to discussing your feelings or problems." Ororo said.

"I never discussed them. So of course I'm not." Even though she was being sarcastic and her tone was on the harsh side she was being honest. The first person she felt free to open up to was Kurt. It was harder to feel that way with anyone else.

Ororo could see that she was irritable. "I don't believe that you even had the opportunity to do so."

Wanda glared ahead, not even looking at Ororo. "No, I didn't. Nobody cared how I was feeling. Not anyone." She was bitter and she felt her temper starting to flare.

In a soothing voice Ororo said, "Things are different here, Wanda. I know you and Kurt have become quite close. And you share a lot with him, I'm sure. You can talk to me as well. I will not judge you either. That's not me. You've done exceptionally well here already. Plus you have proved your loyalty to the X-Men. I am proud of you."

"Yeah. And Jean has told me that I could talk to her any time too. But . . . " She drifted off.

Ororo said, "I can sit here for a bit. So just consider talking with me. It will help you a good deal to get the weight off of your shoulders."

Wanda finally looked directly at Ororo. She could see the sincerity and utter concern in her eyes. The X-Men were so much different than the Brotherhood and the Acolytes. It would take a while for her to understand that she doesn't have to be as hostile. She's with people who care about her. Still it was a tremendous change and she needed time to fully adapt to it.

After minutes of pondering what Ororo told her she said, "Fine. I'm okay. I'm just nervous about taking therapy. What if it doesn't work? What it I'm a complete emotional mess for the rest of my life?" She had so much anger. And she felt worthless.

Ororo reached across the table and placed her right hand over Wanda's left hand. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Charles is an excellent therapist. He is quite skilled in numerous fields that deal with the psyche . You have nothing to worry about."

"I'm a complicated individual. Will he _really_ be able to heal my inner wounds?" Wanda felt insecure.

"In time, yes. He's done much to help me in the past and he's helped countless others. Many of them reside here. I used to have horrid nightmares about my past. Now I may get one monthly, or less. He's helped Jean with psychological issues also. And not to mention, he's helped Logan, as much as possible. So he will be able to help you. I give you my word." Ororo confirmed.

Wanda gazed across the table at her and finally a small smile swept over her face. "You're so optimistic."

Ororo smiled back. "Well, in a world like this you kind of have to be."

"I guess so. I'm glad I did decide to talk to you. I do fell a little better. Knowing that you're an honest, caring person helps." Wanda said.

"I am. But please do not stress out over any of this. Go to that session tomorrow morning and be yourself. Don't hold anything back." Ororo told her.

Wanda looked serious again. "But what if I have an anger tantrum and explode on him?"

Ororo still had her hand on Wanda's, she squeezed it in a comforting way. "He will understand. Believe me. He already knows that this is going to be difficult. Remember what he said to you earlier?"

"Yeah." Wanda replied.

Ironically, Ororo and Wanda both quoted Professor Xavier at the same time: "I never give up on any of my children."

They looked at each other and smiled. Wanda was glad that Ororo was such a kind, understanding person. She was one of the few that she could talk to about anything.

Ororo said, "Never forget that."

"I won't." Wanda was feeling much better. For some reason she asked, "Is it okay if I hug you?" She wasn't used to affection of any kind. But Kurt got her to open up a lot. And she figured that Ororo deserved it.

"Of course it is."

Wanda and Ororo stood up and walked towards one another. Wanda embraced her and Ororo returned the move. But it was only for a handful of seconds. Wanda then pulled back.

The drinks were ready by that time. Laura and Logan stood over by the counter. Logan asked, "Is everything all right?"

"Yes. She was just feeling worrisome about her therapy sessions. She's fine now." She then looked back to Wanda, "Right?"

"Yep. Thanks again."

"You are welcome. Try to have a good night. And get some sleep." Ororo told her.

"I will."

With that said they all said goodnight since none of them knew if they'd see Wanda again that night. And she didn't know if she'd see them. She would more than likely be heading to bed soon since she had to be up a decent time to start therapy sessions.

While Ororo, Logan and Laura left Wanda stayed in the kitchen. She watched them until they were out of sight. She was alone again, but she felt so much better. She finally left the kitchen herself and went upstairs. She believed Ororo. But she still had doubts that Xavier could help her.

The other three were outside of the mansion and they had some trouble deciding on whether to remain on the steps or to go over to the fountain. Either one wouldn't matter. But soon they came to an agreement of sitting at the fountain. It was just a nicer location. The three made their way in that direction and would be there in no time since it was nearby.

Once there it didn't take long for them to get seated and comfortable. Laura sat between Ororo and Logan. She felt at ease between them. Even though she knew that by law Hydra wasn't allowed to bother her that didn't stop her from worrying about them coming after her. She didn't put anything past them. And while she did escape numerous times, it was too chaotic to be running all of the time. So she felt extremely safe with them being at either side of her.

Minutes went by as they sat there just enjoying the beautiful night and gazing up at the sky. The stars where shining so brightly. And they could hear sounds of nocturnal creatures stirring around. It was most peaceful to them. Neither one of them minded how long they sat there in silence. The quality time together was the most important factor. For Ororo, she could find much to talk about with Laura or Logan separately, but with them together it was more of a challenge. With Laura she could discuss feminine matters and it was always a good conversation since Laura was so ignorant to so much in that subject. Now she has a great deal of knowledge due to Ororo's lessons, yet there's still room for improvement. And with Logan they'd talk about a number of things, but a lot of the time he talks quite dirty. There was still much Laura didn't understand, so she may not even pick up on most due to the subtlety of it. But there was still a possibility that she might. Logan was basically her father and Ororo was the closest thing to a mother that she'd have now. But she didn't really comprehend just yet how most teens would react to hearing their parents or guardians talk that way. Many find it disturbing.

As for Logan, he had little to no trouble making conversation with Ororo. Of course it wasn't always that way. Within time he opened up to her; their closeness helped. But he is still new to being a father and he is finding it to be tougher than he imagined it would be. He only hopes that he can truly pull it off. Either way it will take time to get to where it feels comfortable. He's just so glad to have Ororo and everyone else. By far, he knew it couldn't do it alone.

Around twenty minutes had passed before anyone spoke. Knowing that Logan and Laura weren't usually the ones to break the silence Ororo decided to by saying, "We should do this every evening. Or perhaps just try to. It's relaxing."

"Yeah, you need to relax now. Keep your energy for later." Logan said in a deep, husky voice.

She shook her head, then said, "Oh, I'll have plenty of energy. No need to worry."

Laura stayed quiet. She wasn't entirely sure what they were referring to. Although she had a general idea. And from previous times of being with them she was sure that she didn't want to know what they were talking about. She did know that usually when they talked that way she would hear them having sex. Something in her mind told her to try and change the subject.

"It sure is a beautiful night." Laura finally said.

"Indeed it is." Ororo replied.

Logan nodded in agreement, he still had a dirty grin on his face. However, he tried to put those thoughts aside and think of something more appropriate to talk about. But he really could not think of anything to say. He couldn't find any words at all. He tried so hard but nothing would come to him. Even with the fact that they've all been spending a lot more time together. That's something he knew he would have to work on. He wanted to be able to talk more when they had 'family time'. He wanted to be the best father that he could possibly be. Sometimes he thought that he made a mistake by trying to be a father. Other times he knew he did what was right. He was the only true family that Laura had and by no means could let her down. She needed him more than anyone for he was the only person who honestly understood her.

As the time passed there was silence for the most part. It was getting later in the day and they all had a lack for words. Ororo could usually carry on some sort of conversation, but she was exhausted. They have been sitting outside for well over an hour. Their drinks were long gone. And the air was getting chillier.

Ororo stood up, yawning and stretching. "I don't know about either of you, but I am tired. So, sorry Logan, but you'll have to take a rain check for our activities tonight."

He grinned again. "That's fine. Ya gotta be wide awake for those activities."

She laughed. "Okay. I suppose we should head inside now."

"Yeah. Might as well." Logan said in his usual gruff tone.

Laura was happy that they got to spend more time together. They didn't talk as much as they usually did. Still it was great. She said, "I guess it's bedtime for me, huh?"

Ororo looked at her watch and then placed her arm around Laura's shoulder. "Yes, honey. It is 9:30."

She looked disappointed. "I hate going to bed so early. I want to spend more time with you both."

"Actually you were up later than normal." Ororo said back.

"Wow, one whole half hour later." Laura said sarcastically. Her resistance to going to bed was another sign that she was starting to be like a real teenager.

Ororo smiled at her. "You'll have plenty of time tomorrow after your lessons." Ororo stated.

Logan added, "And we can do this again, ya know." He then said, "The only way we won't is if we get attacked again or somethin'."

Laura and Logan both stood up. They all slowly made their way back to the mansion. Soon they were back inside. Ororo took their mugs and she washed them and her own. Laura volunteered to dry them and Logan placed them in the cupboard. Anyone who saw them together would automatically assume that they were a family. They basically were. They may not have a lot to say but they work together well. And things would only get better for them. Logan just needed to be more open with Laura. Surely that would come in time. Even if it was a slow process it would turn out fine because they all had the perfect foundation for building a family. Everyone at the mansion would help too.

**

* * *

**

It was already the next day. Rogue was excited because her graduation was drawing closer. That Friday would be the last day she'd have to step foot into the school for she graduated the following Saturday. And since she was a senior she only had to go to school on Friday to pick up her cap and gown.

Of course the other students were excited too. They may not be graduating just yet, but they are getting closer to Summer vacation. Kitty and Kurt were glad that they only had one more year left. It was a good feeling.

Kitty was starting to think more on what she wanted to do after her own graduation. She loved animals, so she was thinking about becoming a veterinarian. It would be job that would fit her well. She would do as Jean did though and go to college in New York. She didn't want to leave the mansion. She had become extremely close to everyone; it was like a second family. Another benefit of staying at the mansion was that she'd still be fairly close to her biological family. She knew that when she went to school she could still be of great use at the institute. She could help teach the younger students and the next generation of mutants to come. Among other things.

Kurt was still uncertain of his future. Like Rogue, he knew he wanted to remain where he was. He would like to help instruct and so forth. But he had no idea to what career he would get in to. He still had time to think, but he didn't like that his mind drew a complete blank when he contemplated it. He definitely didn't want to move away from anyone. He felt happy where he was. He found a place that he could fit in as well as possible. No matter what he decided to do he knew he wasn't leaving. Going to college would be hard enough. He had to depend on his image inducer to keep him disguised. The problem with that was that if he continued his education outside of the institute he'd have to forever hide himself. High school was hard enough. The little device was great, but it has been known to malfunction. He was lost.

It was still early in the morning. Breakfast wasn't quite ready yet. But the students were already downstairs waiting. In the rec room Kurt was sitting on the couch staring into space. Wanda walked up to him.

"Kurt. Are you alright?" She asked.

He didn't respond for he was deep in thought. She sat down next to him. She repeated, "Are you alright?"

That time he heard her and snapped out of his daze. "Uh . . . yeah. I am. I've just been thinking about a lot lately."

She tilted her head slightly and asked, "Like what?"

He looked directly into her eyes. "Like what I plan to do with my life after I graduate."

She stared back at him. "You have an entire year of school left."

"I know. But I don't like not knowing. Kitty already knows. I mean, I do want to stay here and help as much as I can. Only I have not a single idea to what else I will do." He told her. "And then there's my appearance."

"Maybe your destined to become a teacher here." She suggested.

"Maybe."

There was silence for a bit and then Wanda finally said, "What about your appearance?"

Kurt gazed into her eyes. "Look at me. I don't want to have to hide my true self for the rest of my life."

She gazed back. There was a slight bit of anger in her tone when she said, "To hell with what anyone thinks about the way you look. I find your appearance intriguing, exotic and beautiful."

He blushed. "Thanks. So does mostly everyone here. Many people don't and it still bothers me." He then said, "At least you don't have to worry about your looks, you are absolutely gorgeous."

It was her turn to blush. She didn't know what else to say. Neither did Kurt. So they just stared into one anothers' eyes.

Jean was in the room and she had heard some of the conversation. She also picked up on Kurt's distress. She made her way over to them. "I hope you don't think I'm nosy or anything, but perhaps Wanda's right. An outside career may not be your thing. You don't need to feel badly about it. And she's definitely right about your appearance."

Kurt looked up at Jean. "I just hate not knowing where I'm heading. It's kind of scary." He paused and then said, "No matter what anybody here says, I know I'll be ripped apart by people who don't know me. It's happened before. I've been called so many names merely because I look different."

"As for the career thing, Scott couldn't find anything else other than working here. And Rogue decided she'd do the same. If that's what you're leaning towards than it's still a career. You could be an instructor. Try not to allow people to get under your skin. They can be so cruel. Just remember that most of the time they don't understand and they are frightened." Jean said.

He nodded. "Yeah." He then went on with, "Enough about looks. I'm really curious to know why some people know what they want to do after high school and others don't?"

She shook her head. "I honestly don't know myself. I've known early on that I wanted to do something in the medical field. It's just been an interest. And after coming here I've decided that I also want to learn more about genetics so I can better understand the mutant gene. What's right for one person isn't right for another. You'll figure it out when the time comes. Believe me. And you have all of us backing you up on whatever you choose. Just don't beat yourself up. You have time. And like I said, you may just wind up being here. There is nothing wrong with that. Not at all."

He smiled. "Thanks, Jean. You are so good with words and making people feel better." He stood up and hugged her.

She returned the move. "You're welcome. Glad I could help. Yeah, I think some of that rubbed off onto me from the Professor." She smiled back.

"Most likely." He said and he pulled away.

"I hope you keep in mind everything I've told you." Jean said placing her hands on his shoulders.

He kept smiling. "I will try. It's great knowing that there's some people that truly care. I'm sure I'll be perfectly fine."

"Good. But you can talk to me any time. I'm here." She said, the smile hadn't left her face either. "This should make you feel even more better . . . breakfast will be ready soon."

"Food never does me wrong." They both laughed. Wanda smiled for even though she hadn't been there all that long she already knew how much he loved food.

"See you both in a bit." Jean then headed out of the room.

Wanda and Kurt remained where they were and carried on with another conversation. Outside of the room Jean nearly crashed into Kitty who was walking ahead of Rogue and Remy, as if she were trying to get away.

Kitty was saying, "Remy, you are so perverted. Yuck."

He grinned and replied, "You wouldn't be sayin' that once the clothes comes off."

Rogue smacked him on the arm. "Stop it, swamp rat."

Just then is when Jean walked out of the rec room and if not for Kitty taking notice Jean would have ran right into her. "Whoa. Jean."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Have any of you seen Scott?"

Rogue said, "Yeah. He should be in tha kitchen. We just saw him and Alex a few minutes ago."

"He was looking for you." Kitty said.

"I think he wants a mornin' work-out t' build up a better appetite." Remy said winking at Jean.

She laughed, "Rogue, I think _your_ man needs a 'work-out' himself."

"Well, if he's a good boy I'll make sure I fit him into my after school schedule." She had a sultry touch to her words.

He smirked, "Remy'll be fittin' into more than just your schedule."

Kitty and Jean laughed while Rogue hit him on the arm again. "Remy."

He kept on smirking. Rogue shook her head. He never failed to speak his mind.

They were finally in the kitchen. As soon as they entered Scott ran over to Jean. The other three left them to talk.

"Jean, do you remember what today is?" He looked really happy.

She stared at him. She had to think. _"What's today?"_ she thought. _"It's Tuesday. But what else?" _Finally it dawned on her. "Oh!" She said out loud. Everyone gawked at her momentarily. She grinned.

He gave her a look and said, "You _do_ know then?"

"Yeah. I do." She said back. She continued with, "It's our anniversary of when we were officially a couple."

He pecked her on the lips and said, "Yep. And you know what that means, right?'

"We do something special?" She said.

He nodded. "I have everything planned."

Jean smiled at him, but then her smile faded. "I don't have anything for you. It's been so crazy here, I nearly forgot."

"No need to worry. You're the best gift I could ever get. What I have planned isn't exactly a gift though." He told her.

Her smile returned. "Really? What is it then?"

"You'll find out later. Just promise me that you'll stay out of my head." He said.

"I promise." She crossed her heart.

He kissed her again. By that time Wanda and Kurt entered the kitchen. "Is breakfast done yet? I'm starving." Kurt said.

He and Wanda made their way to the table. Ororo answered his question by saying, "Yes. It's ready now." She smiled.

Everyone was now gathered around the table for breakfast. They were all in a good mood. Jean couldn't help but wonder what Scott had planned for them. Most of the others were talking and eating. Wanda knew that after breakfast her therapy sessions with Charles would start. She was still nervous. Even though she knew that she was in good hands. She was afraid that he couldn't help her, despite what the others told her. She just wasn't a very optimistic individual.

They all seemed to have their own little conversations going on. Most of the younger students talked while the older ones talked among themselves and the teachers. Other just ate. But everything was going well. It was an ordinary morning at the institute.

**

* * *

**

Somewhere near an hour had passed. Wanda was seated in Charles Xavier's study. He was behind his desk for the time being. Since this was her first session he wanted to start off that way instead being directly in front of her. She had to feel comfortable and he would allow her to tell him if something was pushing her too far. If he was to help her heal her mental and emotional wounds he had to also give her space. Things such as that take time and patience. He knew that his sessions would heal her mind. But even though he promised Magneto that he'd be able to get Wanda to at least not despise him, he was not one-hundred percent sure of that. It was possible, but it would take much therapy. And it would also depend on Wanda's view on her father. Two or three months may help her get past the horrible memories of her childhood, however that may not be enough to change her opinion about Magneto. Time would only tell. Magneto didn't understand how complex these things were.

It was clear that Wanda was nervous. She had never done anything quite like that in her life. She's had people mess with her mind, but not really to help her. She trusted Xavier. She knew he was a wonderful man and he'd never do a single thing to hurt her. Still she had insecurities. She just sat there fiddling with her hair, which had grown out a little.

Professor X could see how unnerved she was. He sensed it as well. Finally he said, "Wanda, dear, are you ready to start?"

She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes briefly. When she opened her eyes she replied with, "I suppose so. The sooner the better."

He smiled at her. "Great." He then said, "Would you mind if I came over and sat in front of you? It will be much better for me if I could be closer."

"Sure." That was all she said. She didn't know what more to say. It would be awkward having him so close to her. But she knew it would help the process. He needed to be closer in order to do it properly.

Xavier wheeled himself over to her and once he was in front of her he stopped. He was fairly close and he could sense that she still felt uneasy. "I'm not going to harm you. You have my word."

She gazed at him. "I know you won't. It's just that I know this is going to be so hard."

Her hands were now rested on her lap. He placed his right hand over her left hand in a comforting way. "Yes. Indeed it will be. But you are a very strong young woman and I have faith in you. I know you can do this. And I know that you'll pull through. You are an X-Man now, so you don't only have my support but you have that of the entire team."

She smiled. She was still getting used to the fact that there were people who truly cared about her. And not just for her mutant abilities. "You don't know how much this all means to me."

He smiled back. "Actually, I do." He pointed to his head and then to hers.

She smiled again. "Yeah, I guess you would know."

He was still smiling. He pat her hand and then removed his. "Okay. Let's start. First, I would like to see exactly what I'm dealing with. I'm going to scan you mind. Don't worry, it won't hurt. And I will not tamper with anything. All I'm going to do is gradually heal you. For that to happen I must observe your memories." He paused to give her time. He then said, "Ready?"

She nodded. "It's now or never."

Professor Xavier placed his hands over either side of her head and closed his eyes. She too closed her eyes as he entered her mind. He was right. Nothing hurt. She could feel him in her mind, but it wasn't uncomfortable. As he scanned through her memories she actually felt at ease. The nervousness faded leaving her in a state of serenity.

Inside her mind, Xavier could see how messed up everything was. When he connected with her he made it seem as if they were taking a stroll through her head. Telepathically, he began to talk with her. _"Wanda, there is so much to work with. You're mind is like a labyrinth. All of you're memories are tangled together. Some are more prominent while others are far from it."_

_"You can still help me, right?" _She said to him in her mind.

He placed his hand upon her shoulder. _"Yes. Of course I can. I've seen much worse in my time. But that's why I must sort through all of this. I need to make sense of everything before I can do anything else."_

Professor X moved to the less hidden memories first. He saw them as if they were living in that moment. The more recent things wer easier to see and so far they were the best ones. He knew how happy Wanda was at the mansion and while inside her head it was confirmed. He really didn't need to dig into those too much. so he soon moved along to memories of when she was with the Brotherhood. From the moment he dipped into those he could tell that she never knew where she fit in. She was totally lost. Her only goal then was to get back at Magneto. Destroying him was her sole purpose. Whether she was alone or in the company of others she often thought of how she could make him pay for all of the pain he put her through. She wanted him to hurt and suffer. She was such an angry person. Her temper was always flaring up. And sometimes most people would think she was crazy for exploding the way she did.

Wanda was managing well as Professor X went through her mind, but it was getting very difficult for her. But he had to go deeper so he could see everything from the time she joined the Brotherhood until now. He had to get to the heart of her problem. Even if he had an idea he still needed to see first hand.

In her mind she followed along side him. It was all becoming uncomfortable. She knew he was heading further into the depths of her mind. At that point she didn't know how much longer she could hold herself together. However she remained grim faced and allowed him to continue.

Xavier began to reach into her childhood memories. He started from when she was very young. The beginning was okay. Well, as good as it could be. But it didn't take long for him to see how quickly it all changed for the worse. He saw how out of control that she was. Even as a child she was a handful. Her powers caused her to be extremely dangerous. She became enraged quite easily. However, Magneto didn't help by making her feel horrible. He was not the best father. And he couldn't control her at all. But instead of allowing Charles help her he had other agendas. They weren't all clear since this was Wanda's memories, not Magneto's, but it was clear enough.

Wanda was having much trouble at that point. She was trying to stay calm, but when the memories of Magneto and the asylum were sorted through more thoroughly she began to feel highly upset and she opened her eyes. Xavier lost his concentration when she yelled, "No! Stop!" She placed her hands on her head and held her head.

He did just as she demanded. He pulled away and gave her time to compose herself. He knew that he had reached into parts of her mind that wouldn't be easy for her to handle. But it was all necessary so that he knew to the full extent what he was dealing with.

After a few minutes elapsed the Professor said in a calm, comforting tone, "Wanda, are you alright? I'm sorry that that bothered you. But it's crucial if you honestly want to heal inside."

She didn't respond right away. It took several seconds for her to do so. When she finally spoke she said, "I'm sorry too."

"For what?"

"Yelling at you. You're only trying to help me."

He smiled and said, "It's fine, my dear. You don't have to apologize. And remember that for future references. There will most likely be many times when I do something that doesn't feel all that comfortable. Especially when dealing with Magneto and such. You will get upset and angry. You may even lash out at me . . . " He paused and then resumed with, "But, I will still be here for you. And I will be patient. I know you've been through so much."

A partial smile played over her lips. "Just out of curiosity, how many have flipped out on you or just flipped out in general?"

"Not many. The only person that comes to mind is Logan. See the thing with you and him is opposite. He can't remember his past and would like to. And you remember but would prefer not to. With you it would be so easy to wipe those memories or turn them around. But people need to have memories, good or bad. It makes up who you are. And a lot of the time can make you stronger. So I've been trying to help him regain his. It's a long process and I only hope that I can get it accomplished. Anyway, back to you. We have about 20 minutes left. May I continue or would you rather save that for the next time?"

"I'm not sure. When will the next time be?"

"Well, I've figured that we could do this every other morning. That way you can have a break between sessions. That's another part of the process." He explained.

She had to think. She wanted things to get better. And waiting would only slow everything down. She had to make a hard decision. But she looked at him and said, "You may continue. This has to be done."

He smiled. "Good choice. You are a very wise individual."

She again closed her eyes and he did so too. Once more he entered her mind. He picked up where he left off. He saw how frightened and agitated she was with being locked away. At first she was terrified. But as time passed by her terrified state became one of pure fury. He understood on a much deeper level just how badly she hated her father. In some ways he couldn't blame her. To that day Professor Xavier couldn't comprehend the fact that Magneto had his own child placed into an asylum rather then allow him to help her. The worst part of all was that Wanda wasn't only institutionalized by her father, but when she was there he never visited her or even called to speak with her. It was like he stuck her there and completely forgot about her existence. She was so young and something like that can scar someone for life.

Despite the irritation she felt she hung in while he scanned her mind. She bite her lip and balled her hands into fists as he searched through those touchy memories. But she kept her cool, for the most part. She so wanted to be happy. And she knew that as long as those wounds existed she wouldn't ever be at her fullest level of happiness. She felt happy around Kurt. But there was just something about him that made her feel that way. She wanted to feel like that always. Or at least as much as most people did.

Ten minutes had passed and the scanning was complete. Professor X pulled away again. He looked at her. "You did very well. But remember to bear with me for the hardest parts are yet to come. Of course it will be gradual, as I've said. Still it can and probably will be quite strenuous."

"Yeah. It was tough. But I found that making fists and biting my lip helped."

He smiled again. "Whatever works. But you can talk to me too. That will help you much more. I've seen everything, but hearing it from you also will be far better. Is there anything that you'd like to share now?"

"No. I'm not sure I'm ready to put my feelings into words." She told him.

He said, "That's fine. Just try to think about some of those feelings and when I see you Thursday morning try to get some of those out."

She said back, "I'll try. I'm not sure if I can. But I'll try."

"That's all I'm asking. Everyone moves at their own pace. When you're ready you'll know."

She thought for a bit. She then said, "What if I decide I want to tell you in between our sessions?"

"Then you know right where to find me." Once more he smiled at her.

She smiled back. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." He looked at the clock. "The hour is up. But if you need to talk to me before Thursday morning then do not hesitate to come to me."

She nodded and smiled again. She realized that she had smiled so much sense joining the X-Men. At first it was only with Kurt, but as she got to know some of the others she'd smile while in their company too. She used to think she wasn't capable of smiling.

They said goodbye and she exited his study. He remained there to do some paper work and what not. She made her way back to the main levels and went to her room. Once in her room she stretched out on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't wait until Kurt got home so she could tell him all about her first session. She knew he'd want to know how it went. And she figured that he may even be able to help her work on talking about her feelings. She's done that with him, but now she must learn how to with Professor Xavier.

**

* * *

**

It was late afternoon and school had left out. The students were all home. But a lot of them would be doing their homework, which didn't consist of much now that the school year was nearly over. Rogue was the only one of them that had nothing. Since she had some classes for only seniors she had gotten what little homework she had out of the way already. She was glad of that. Now she could have some of that time for Remy. And that's exactly what she was doing. When she got home she found him and they both headed upstairs for some alone time.

In the meantime, Kurt was looking for Wanda. He really wanted to find out how her first therapy session went. He searched for a while and didn't find her anywhere downstairs. Or outside for that matter. So finally he thought that perhaps she was upstairs. He had made his way to the room she shared with Laura and there she was. The door was wide open. Wanda was on her bed with her eyes closed. When she laid on her bed earlier she fell asleep.

Kurt stood in door way for a bit watching her breathe, for that's all she was doing. She was so relaxed and as she lay there it appeared that she had not a single worry.

Aside from stare at her he didn't know what to do. Finally he walked into the room and took a seat on a chair near her bed. He just sat there and kept watching her. _"Wow, she looks so peaceful. And she's even quite pretty."_ he thought and he studied her.

The feelings he had for her have been getting stronger and stronger. He wasn't certain how to deal with them. But he knew what they were. Oddly though, they were stronger than the ones that he had for Amanda.

As he sat there he kept on thinking about how he felt for Wanda. And for most of the time his eyes remained locked on her sleeping form. However, at some point he must have zoned out because Wanda had awaken and he didn't even take notice.

She sat on the edge of her bed looking at him with a strange expression. "Kurt. When did you get here?" When he didn't reply she got up and walked over to him. She waved her right hand in front of his face. He didn't see it. So she placed it on his shoulder and lightly shook him. "Kurt."

He finally looked up at her. "Wanda. Sorry."

"How long have you been sitting there?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. I know I wanted to see how your session went. I couldn't find you anywhere, so I checked here. You were asleep. But I didn't want to wake you or leave. I don't know what happened. I guess I was daydreaming or something." He told her.

She responded with, "Oh."

There was silence then. He sure was daydreaming, about her. But she soon broke through the silence.

"So, you wanted to know how everything went, right?"

"Yeah." He said.

She nodded and walked back over to her bed. Once she was seated she said, "It went well, if you take into consideration how badly it could have gone. I did act out, a little. I actually did better than I thought I would. I guess Professor X was a huge help there."

"He probably tried to keep you as calm as possible. He can do amazing things." He said to her.

She agreed. "He might have. I think that just his tone of voice helped to keep me calm. He never loses that softness. I thought I would have been much worse."

"Sometimes things turn out better than you expect them to. And, the Professor can lose his cool. But very rarely. He's the calmest person I've ever known." Kurt stated.

Wanda looked into his eyes and said, "But despite how he is, I have a feeling these sessions won't always go that well. I know it will get harder when we reach deeper into my childhood." She took a short pause to think. "And I actually have homework, so to speak."

"It will get harder, but you have friends that will help you now. You have me." He then raised an eyebrow and said, "Homework?"

"The Professor wants me to try to tell him more of how I'm feeling. He's seen everything, but he wants me to talk about it. I'm not sure I can." She told him.

He was staring at her. "You can. I know you can. You've shared so much with me already. It wouldn't do any harm to do the same with him."

"Well, there are still some things I haven't told you. They're too difficult to talk about." She paused and continued with, "But, I will try. I promised him I'd at least do that much."

Kurt stood up and walked over to her. He sat down beside her. She looked surprised. "I hope you don't mind me sitting here."

"No, I don't. I just didn't think you'd want to sit on my bed with me." She said and then she grinned slightly. "What would the others say, or think, if they saw us on the bed?"

He grinned back. "I have no idea. But who cares. It's not like we're doing anything."

"So true. And if we were the door wouldn't be wide open." She added.

They both laughed. She always felt so good around him. And she knew something was different about the way she saw him now. Only she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She wasn't sure what her feelings were or what they meant. All she knew was that she was at her happiest when with him. She thought, _"What is this strange feeling? I've never felt anything like it . . . ever."_ Her mind was so mixed up with so many things.

They continued to talk and after a while they were sitting much closer. Neither of them could remember moving closer though. They stopped their conversation and gazed deeply into one anothers' eyes. And for the first time their faces were just inches apart. They both closed their eyes. But before their lips met someone said, "Dinner's about ready."

They jumped and moved away from each other. It was Laura. She gave them an odd look, "Did I interrupt something?" She still was learning, but she's smart enough to know that they were about to kiss.

Kurt said, "Uh, no."

Wanda responded with, "Nope. We were just . . . " She drifted off.

"Either way, you may resume. I only wanted to tell you that it's almost time to eat. Join us when you're ready." Laura wore a similar smirk that Logan would have. Apparently his ways were rubbing off onto her.

They both said, "Okay."

Laura left the room. When she left they stared at one another. But the moment was ruined and the only thing they could do was blush. They decided that they'd go downstairs for dinner. They were both hungry anyway. Still, neither of them could help but wonder what would have happened if Laura hadn't popped in on them. They surely would have kissed. And they were both a little disappointed that it didn't happen. However, they walked out of the room side-by-side and made their way down to dinner. There's always a reason to why things happen, or in this case, don't happen.

**

* * *

**

Throughout the day Scott had been preparing something very special for Jean and him. He was setting it all up in his room and he wouldn't allow her to see it. Scott knew that Remy had great taste with things like that and he wanted to have his take on it. So at the moment Remy was standing in Scott's doorway.

Scott said, "Would you come in? Let me know if this looks romantic or not."

Remy looked at Scott. "No problem, _mon ami_. But don't ask _moi_ t' shut the door."

"Very funny. Come on, this is serious." Scott replied.

"Remy was bein' serious." He grinned then said, "So, this is Jean's an' your anniversary? You ain't married, _non_?"

Scott said back, "Yes. And no, we're only engaged. But we've been together so long. As you should know."

"What's this anniversary for though?" Remy questioned.

"When we first become a couple." Scott answered.

Remy nodded and said, "I see. Well, I think you did a good job. Candles are definitely romantic."

There were candles. Scott had set up a small table in the center of his room. On it were some candles. They weren't lit yet of course. He also had a candle on each bed stand. It was romantic enough for Jean. Even though just being with him would suite her fine. But he wanted to do a little more.

"It's okay then?" Scott asked.

"_Oui_. Is there anything more that you're plannin'? I see that you have this table in here and all." Remy said.

Scott said, "The table is for candle light dinner. Hence the candles."

Again Remy nodded. "I believe you're on the right track. I don't see any reason why she wouldn't love this. An' I assume that you have other plans for tonight?" He had a smirk on his face and he winked.

"Oh, of course. Sorry that I won't be sharing those plans with you." Scott stated.

"I have no hard feelin's. I might wanna hear if Jean has any plans for you though. I could allow her t' practice on me." Remy again smirked.

Scott shook his head. "I don't think so."

Remy laughed and said, "You know I was jus' messin' wit' you, right?"

"Yeah."

"If that's all . . . " Remy said to him.

Scott looked around and finally responded with, "I believe it is. Thanks."

"Really? Bet Remy could offer advice in some other areas?" Remy suggested.

"No, I'm good." Scott said.

Remy grinned. "You sure? I was the one you called on for advice before."

Scott smiled at him. "I know. But then I wasn't sure of anything. It wasn't only my first time with Jean it was my first time entirely."

"_Oui_, but I thought that maybe I could give you a few tips on how t' make her reach an ultimate climax." Remy winked at him. "You've had to of heard Rogue."

"Oh yes, I've heard Rogue. But surely you've heard Jean. I don't think there's any problems in that department." Scott stated with a smile of confidence.

Remy chuckled a little and the smirk remained upon his face. "You got me there. Let's jus' hope she's not fakin' it."

"Believe me, Remy, she's not." Scott now wore a grin.

"Then I think you're all set, _mon ami_."

"I sure am. Thanks though."

"It was my pleasure. _Au revoir_." Remy then left.

Scott had a big smile on his face. He was so happy with what he's done and he knew that Jean would be too. He just wanted Remy's opinion. He was a man that knew how to romance the ladies. Although he only romanced one now he still knew what was right.

**

* * *

**

On the other side in the girls' dormitories Jean was in her room. She was trying to figure out what to wear for the special occasion. She wanted to look super hot. A nice dress would do well. She almost had that part down. However, she was trying to choose the under garments for the night. This is where she wanted another females' opinion. She decided to call upon Ororo. She was older and more than likely knew a thing or two about this kind of stuff.

Ororo stepped into Jean's room. "What can I help you with?"

Jean walked over and shut her door. She didn't need everyone to see the lingerie she had laid out all over her bed. "This." Jean said pointing to her bed. "It's Scott's and my anniversary of when we officially were a couple. I want it to be as special as possible."

Jean and Ororo walked over to the bed. "Hm, which ones did you have in mind? We'll start from there." Ororo said.

"You're not uncomfortable with this, are you?" Jean said, she could sense a slight bit of uneasiness.

"Maybe a little. But I'll still help you. After all, we are both women and you need my assistance." Ororo replied.

Jean smiled. "Thank you. Back to your question, I really like this red set. Though, that may be too much red." She grabbed a lock of her hair to emphasize.

"Yes, perhaps. But the green with white lace looks nice. And it will compliment your eyes quite well." Ororo told her.

Jean nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Um, I know this is going to sound kind of strange, but could you stay a bit longer so I can put it on? Just to see how it looks on me." She felt odd asking that and even a little shy.

Ororo replied with, "No, I do not mind. I'll just turn around until you are covered."

"You don't have too. I mean, we're both women, like you said. And it's not like you'll be staring at me." Jean said.

Ororo said back, "Yes, you are a beautiful young woman. But I think of you as an younger sister."

Ororo was like an older sister. But even at that it may be hard for her not to at least look. Jean was very beautiful and attractive.

Jean hurried to get the lingerie on. It didn't take too long at all. Once she had it on Ororo studied her. "The color absolutely compliments your eyes. And it looks perfect on you."

"How do my boobs and butt look?" Jean asked and then her cheeks turned almost as red as her hair.

Upon noticing that she was blushing Ororo said, "Don't be embarrassed, sweetheart. That's why I'm here, to help you." Ororo paused, it was a slight bit awkward. But not overly. She continued with, "You're breast look great. Turn around . . . " Jean turned and Ororo said, "Your butt looks great too."

"So, I look drop-dead gorgeous?" Jean questioned.

"Yes, you do. You could very well model for Victoria's Secret. And if I wasn't straight . . . " Ororo didn't finish the last sentence. She laughed softly.

Jean laughed too. "What? You'd get kinky with me?"

They both laughed again. They were obviously joking around. It was good that they were close enough to do so.

"Okay, one more thing. I have two dresses in mind, but I'm not sure which one looks better." Jean said.

Jean pulled the dresses out of her closet. One was a greenish blue and the other was black with silver details over the entirety of it. They were both about knee length, but the greenish blue one had slits up either side that went up mid-thigh. The black and silver dress was more flowing and it cut down a little too expose a bit of cleavage.

After studying both dresses Ororo said, "Well, they are both beautiful. However, I believe that the black and silver dress would go best. Only because you have green lingerie on. You don't want too much green. And the black and silver dress just looks more appropriate for the occasion."

Jean nodded again and she put on the black dress with silver detail. She then slowly spun around. "How does it look?"

"Great. I think Scott's jaw will definitely drop." Ororo told her.

"Oh, you better believe it. Wait until he sees what's underneath." Jean grinned. Then she said, "Thank you so much. You're awesome. And I'm glad this wasn't too uncomfortable for you."

Ororo smiled, "You are very welcome. Of course not. And as I recall I gave you some pointers about having your first time with Scott. Actually it was your first time all around."

"I do remember. That was only talking though. Here you had to see me naked and in lingerie and all. You're wonderful. Thanks again." Jean was so excited and she gave Ororo a big hug.

Ororo returned the move and said, "You're welcome. I will allow you to finish getting ready. If you need me you know how to get a hold of me." She smiled.

"Alright. I'm to meet him her in about an hour. I think I'll be fine now." Jean stated and she smiled back.

"I'll talk to you later then. Let me know how it goes." Ororo said.

"Oh, I will. And I'm sure by tonight everyone will know how it went." Jean said back.

They laughed again and then said their goodbyes. Once Ororo left Jean went to completing her look. She wanted to look as hot as possible. Of course she never had to do much to look stunning though.

**

* * *

**

Seven o'clock was approaching quickly. That was the time when Jean was to meet Scott in his room. The last hour she had completed her look which she knew that he would love. Of course he didn't really care about accessories, clothes or makeup, but still she felt the need to go all out. This was a very special day and she wanted to make sure that the evening went smoothly. She was so excited.

Before she left her room to head over to his she did a check in her mirror. Everything looked perfect. She smiled at her reflection and then exited her room. She knew this would be a night to remember for the both of them.

While Jean was making her way over to the boys' dormitories Scott finished setting up for their romantic dinner. It was the same thing everyone else had, but he got some for him and Jean and took it to his room. He put everything into containers so they could get the portions they desired. The meal wasn't too fancy on it's own. It was just roast beef, mashed potatoes and green beans. As for the drinks, they were a glass of water and a bottle of sparkling cider, since neither of them were old enough to drink alcohol. If they were wine or something along those lines would have been nice. And for dessert there was chocolate layer cake with vanilla icing. There was a slice for both of them. It all looked great.

He just lit the candles on the table and on the bed stands. So the mood would be perfect. He took a look in his mirror. While he didn't spend as much time getting himself ready he still took some time to look presentable. He wore charcoal gray dress pants with a matching jacket. He also had on a light blue dress shirt. He thought he looked suave and handsome. Either way Jean would love the evening just the same. But he had to make it as good as he possibly could.

He turned off his light so that the only light in the room came from the candles. And he even played some music. It was the kind you might hear in a fancy restaurant, but better. Shortly afterwards their was a knock on his door.

"Mm, something smells good! You're not going to keep me waiting out here, are you Scott?" " It was no one other than Jean outside his door.

He yelled, "No, no, come on in!" Once she came in he added, "You'll figure out what smells good soon."

She stared at him and then at the table and the candles. And she heard the music playing softly. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She was speechless. His reaction was nearly the same when he saw what she wore and how beautiful she looked. He walked over and shut his door. Then he placed an arm around her waist and led her over to the table. He pulled out the chair and seated her. She still couldn't find any words. He went over and seated himself.

He said, "So, what do you think?"

She was still staring at the room, the table and then she looked at him. Finally she said, "Wow. This is _so_ amazing. _You_ are so amazing. I had no idea that this is what you had planned."

"That's why I tried my hardest to keep it all from you. I hated holding back, but I had to." He told her. He reached across the table and took her right hand in his. He then kissed it. "You always look beautiful. But tonight you look . . . stunning. You didn't have to do all of that. You could have worn a potato sack and you'd still look gorgeous."

"I'm glad you did hide this. Thank you, fro the compliment and everything else." She then went on, "You look sexy, honey." She eyed him up. Then she said, "I know I didn't have to do this. I wanted to. And I put something _really_ special on underneath just for you." She winked at him. And her voice was sultry towards the end of her last sentence.

He stared at her. Since he didn't have to were the ruby quartz glasses anymore she could see how big his eyes became. "Ooh, I can only imagine." He said.

"Later your imagination will become a reality." She flirted. The way she looked at him was so seductive. He hoped he could hold out long enough.

He caressed her hand and tried to ignore that fact that he was getting slightly aroused already. "I can't wait. But first we'll eat. Then I have something else planned." She stared back a him. "You'll see, baby."

She smiled at him. "We both have hidden plans. I hope yours is as good as mine." Once again she sounded flirtatious.

"I'm sure it will be." He told her. And even though her dress cut down enough that he could see a good bit of cleavage his eyes were locked on hers eyes.

They gazed at one another for a few moments. Then Jean said, "Perhaps we should eat before everything gets cold." She took a quick pause and then added, "And before we get too hot." She licked her lips and smiled at him.

He still stared at her. "Yeah. We should." Scott agreed. He wasn't sure what else to say to her comment. He didn't want to say too much or he wouldn't be able to follow through with all of his plans. "Ladies first."

She smiled, "You're such a gentleman." She then got some of the food. The water was already poured into the glasses.

Once she got her helping he went for his. He was so hungry. She was too. They both missed dinner at the normal time since they were both preparing themselves. She thought that maybe they'd go out or something. But this was so much better.

Soon the couple began to eat. They talked a little. Jean was still in shock at what Scott had done. This meant more to her than some gift. Spending time with her was the best gift he could give. She absolutely loved everything.

After around a half hour they finished their dinner and it was time for dessert. He uncovered the two slices of cake and handed hers to her. They had finished their water too. So before they ate the cake he opened the bottle of sparkling cider. He then pulled two wine glasses in front of him and poured the liquid into them. He handed her one.

"Let's make a toast." He said.

"Okay. But to what?" She said back as she took the glass.

He thought for a second or so and then replied with, "To a long, happy life together. May nothing every stand in our way."

She nodded and said, "Yes. I like that."

They both tipped their glasses and clanked them together saying, "Cheers." Then they took a sip.

In a short time after that they began to enjoy their dessert. And every now and then they'd reach over the table and feed each other a bite of cake. Everything was going splendidly. Certainly the evening would only get better and better as the time passed by.

Approximately ten minutes later they were done with the cake and the drink. They had more of the sparkling cider for later. They'd probably need it. Scott collected the dirty dishes and placed them in a neat pile on the table. He then got up and walked over to Jean's chair. He took her hand and she got up. He pushed the chair back in. She couldn't help but stare at him.

Next he guided her over about two feet away from the table. "Stay there." He headed over to a small shelf where his stereo was and he changed the CD. The song didn't come on right away, but almost when he reached Jean it started to play. It was "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton.

He took her arms and placed them around his neck and he placed his around her waist. They began to dance, slow and close. And when the singing started he sang softly into her ear.

He sang, "It's late in the evening, she's wonderin' what clothes to wear. . . . She puts on her make-up and brushes her long 'red' hair. . . . And then she asks me, 'Do I look alright?' And I say yes, you look wonderful tonight."

They continued to dance and Scott went on singing into her ear for the rest of the song. When it ended they pulled slightly apart. He left the CD play. The next song was "Angel" by Leona Lewis.

He smiled at her. "I made a whole CD filled with love songs that fit us quite well."

Jean's eyes were brimmed with tears of joy. She smiled at him. "Really? Wow. How many?" She was astonished.

He was still smiling at her. "Twelve."

"Oh, Scott. I can't believe you did _all _of this. Especially singing to me. I love you _so_ much." She then pressed her lips to his and they shared a warm, passionate kiss.

Nothing got too heated just yet. In a few minutes they continued to dance. And they danced from one song to the next. Only stopping to kiss each other now and then between songs. It was definitely a romantic evening. When the CD ended she could show him her surprise. There more to it than just the lingerie. But for now they both enjoyed the moment. It truly could be considered a Kodak moment.

**

* * *

**

An hour later the CD that Scott made for Jean and him ended. They moved slightly away from one another. Jean was still amazed by all that he had done. He was truly a romantic man. But now it was time for her to show him her surprise. Hers was romantic too, but it was more sensual. Her flirty side came back and she gave him a look that drove him crazy.

He stared at her and then asked, "So, what's your surprise?"

She stared back. "Earlier today, before you started getting this all set up, I snuck into your room. And I hide something." She walked over to his desk and opened up the bottom drawer on the left. It was a drawer that he rarely opened so she knew he wouldn't discover what she had hid. She came back over to him. "I have a song for us too. And I'll do a performance of my own."

"You're serious?!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, yes. I didn't make a whole CD of love songs, but I have one song on this CD that I'm using." She opened the case and removed the CD. She then pointed to his stereo and said, "May I?"

He said back, "Go ahead. I can't wait to see what you have planned."

Scott truly couldn't wait and soon he'd be completely in shock. He'd be shocked in a different way than she was though. And he'd be more than just that.

As Jean crossed his room he kept close watch on her. He just couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She took out his CD and placed it back into the case. She sat her case down and stuck her CD into his player.

She glanced over at him. "Scott, you might want to pull out the chair from your desk and have a seat. The show is about to begin." She sounded even more flirtatious than earlier in that evening.

He nodded and moved over to his desk. He pulled out the chair and took a seat. As she programmed the song she wanted his eyes never left her. She looked great and he still couldn't believe that she got all dressed up and everything. A nice outfit would have been fine. But if that all surprised him than it's a good thing that he was sitting down.

Soon the song started to play. It was "Red Light Special" by TLC. The song may not fit them one-hundred percent but it sure was a nice song for what Jean had in mind. As she walked over to him she began to dance slow and erotically to the music. His eyes became wide and he stared at her even harder than before. She moved closer to him and she stopped when she was about a few feet in front of him. He looked up at her as she danced so sensually. She slowly swayed her hips to the rhythm of the song. And just when he thought that was all she was going to do she began to slowly slide the straps of her dress down her arms, one at a time. She teased him for a bit and then she slid the top of the dress down further, revealing her bra and voluptuous cleavage. Scott's eye were even wider. Within in a few seconds or so she allowed the dress to fall to the floor and then she lightly kicked it to the side. Now she was in only the lingerie that she had Ororo help her pick out. He eyed her up, taking it all in. She was still dancing, but in just lingerie and heels. She totally looked hot and he was definitely getting aroused.

As she continued she moved even closer and pretty much gave him a lap dance. While she danced she slowly removed his jacket and then unbuttoned his shirt. All of this was turning her on as well. The song would soon be ending, but she went on. She sat completely on his lap and was grinding herself against him. She could feel his arousala and it turned her on even more.

Next she removed his shirt. She pressed her nearly naked body against his muscular chest and abs. It seemed as if the air and temperature of the room became so much hotter. Before the song was finished she unfastened his pants she stood up. He slipped off his shoes and lifted himself a little and she pulled his pants off. She even removed his socks for him. Now they were both in only under garments. And at that point the song had ended.

"How'd you like my surprise, baby?" She asked with a sultry tone in her voice and smiling at him seductively.

It took him a while to answer, but finally he said, "I . . . I loved it. . . . You were so sexy dancing around like that. Wow." He didn't know what else to say. At that moment most of his blood had rushed to his genitals. Then after gazing deeply into each others' eyes he questioned, "Where did you learn that?"

She gave him a naughty smile and answered with, "It's not rocket science, you know. And it's not like I don't know how to dirty dance. So I just adding stripping to it. Piece of cake."

He smiled back. "Cake? I was actually wanting a little pie." He had a flirty tone in his voice. He wasn't really good with flirting but he has gotten better. And this time he really sounded sexy.

"Ooh, I know what you're talking about. You'll get some in a bit." She flirted back.

In a matter of time their lips crashed together and they began to kiss. This time the kiss was extremely heated. While their tongues wrestled together Scott reach behind Jean and unhooked her bra. He pulled the straps down over her shoulders and she allowed it to slide down. She moved her arms from around his neck just to get the bra off entirely. She tossed it to the floor. The whole time they kept on kissing. Their hands began to wander everywhere. In a short bit though he traced his lips down her neck and spent some time at her breast. He kissed them, licked them and sucked them. This all was really turning them on. Soon they'd have to do more than just make out.

Scott was also using his hands to gently caress and squeeze Jean's breasts. That caused her to moan and start to grind on him again. He even let out a soft moan.

A few moments later Scott picked up Jean, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck, and carried her to his bed. He lowed her to the bed and laid over top of her. They were kissing once more. He soon traced his lips down her neck again, but this time he didn't stay at her breast as long. He kept going until her reached the band of her panties. He slowly slid them down and off. But before he began to pleasure her she stopped him.

"Scott, I have an idea." She said breathing kind of heavily and she sounded just as sultry as ever.

"What?"

She stared at him. "You want some pie, right?" He nodded and she went on, "Well, how about you have some while I have a Twinkie." She winked at him.

He stared back at her. "Oh, I get it."

First he left her remove his boxers. Then they kissed a little more, groping each other. At last they got into position. He laid on the bed and she straddled over him with her vagina just above his mouth. And it didn't take long for them to start pleasuring one another. He stroked and finger her a bit and then he slipped his tongue into her. As usual, he switched it up a little. She moaned as she licked and sucked his manhood. This was definitely different for them. But very interesting to say the least.

For around five minutes they continued. Scott released first and she allowed him to go in her mouth, less messy. Plus it didn't bother her. He moaned a bit. And he went on with her until she climaxed. Her moans were more intense.

Once they were finished with that Jean moved so that she was now face to face with him. The young couple kissed passionately again. They never could have enough kissing. And while they kissed they ran their hands all over each others' naked bodies. After doing a lot of making out they soon were aroused again. This time the real fun would begin.

There weren't any words as Scott got out a condom and put in on. They started with him on top. He slowly and gently entered her. They gazed into one anothers' eyes for the longest time as he made love to her. She raked her fingers, softly, up and down his back. As his speed intensified some he leaned down and they shared another kiss. It was hard since she was moaning.

About ten minutes or so later he stopped. Then Jean straddled him and moved herself on top of him. She began to moan again. This time her hands were on his chest. From time to time Scott would kiss or fondle with her breast. They did it in that position for around ten minutes too. Then they went to another one. They kept on switching for a while. At one point they were in doggystye position. They remained that way for a while for they both loved it. That particular position allowed them to express the wild side a little.

Of course, they switched around for quite some time. Finally Scott was on top again. He was slamming into her and they were both breathing heavily and moaning. Although, Jean was mostly screaming instead of moaning. And she moved with him, keeping up well. After about five minutes Jean met her peak. She scratched his back a bit and let out a cry of pure euphoria. Shortly afterwards Scott climaxed. He even moaned more than he was and he squeezed the covers on his bed.

Once they finished they both just laid there catching their breath. He was sprawled out over her with his face nuzzled in the crook of her neck. Her head rested on his. It took them a while to get their breathing back to normal.

"Damn. That was something else." Scott said into her ear. He then kissed her neck softly.

"It sure was." She said back and she planted a kiss on her forehead.

She smiled. "And you know what, it never gets boring."

He smiled too. "Nope. How could it?"

They smiled and laid there for a bit more. It was late by the time they got up. They went and took a shower together and after that they went back to his room. He figured he'd clean it up in the morning. He put on some PJ pants and allowed her to borrow one of his shirts. They decided that they'd sleep in her room since his bed was wet from sweat. She picked up her clothes and they went to her room.

When they got there they went in and she closed the door. She took off his shirt and put on a clean pair of panties. But that was all. Shortly after that they crawled into her bed and covered up. She laid on him and the snuggled up close.

"I love you so much, Scott." She whispered. "Thank you for making this a night I'll never forget. It was all so amazing."

He whispered back, "I love you too. And you're very welcome. Thank you as well. I'll never get that strip-tease out of my mind."

She smiled. "I hope you can make room for more memories like that, because that may have been the first but I can assure you that it won't be the last."

"I can make room. Believe me." He smiled too.

They both said goodnight and within minutes they were both out. The night was awesome. Everything went extremely well and just as planned. That was kind of rare while living at the mansion. Most plans couldn't be carried out in their entirety. They were fortunate that those plans worked out and that they had each other.

* * *

**I apologize for the wait on this chapter. Now there's only one left, plus an epilogue, and then this story is complete. I so hope that I can get the rest moving along quicker. Last year was just crazy. Many bad things happened that slowed me down. And this year is crazy too, but in a good way:) So far at least it's been good. I've just been busy with work and all. But I will try hard to get this next chapter done sooner:) And the same with the epilogue:) _Please_ review:) I really need you to and I'd truly appreciate it very much:) I hope you enjoyed this:) Well, until next time, take care:)**


	20. Start of Something New

**Chapter Nineteen**

At this point a week had passed from that Tuesday. A whole lot hasn't changed within that period of time. But Rogue was finally free of high school. Her graduation was the previous Friday and now she never had to step foot into Bayville High again. Kitty and Kurt couldn't wait until the following year because it would be their turn. Most of the students at the institute were pretty happy for they only had a couple of days left of school until summer vacation. And those two days were half days.

Of course, Jean and Scott still couldn't get over their anniversary evening and night. They were both amazed by what the other had done. And they intended to do things similar to that just for the fun of it. That would be a great way to keep their relationship interesting. Not that they ever found their personal life boring, it just doesn't hurt to spice it up every so often.

Ororo, Logan and Laura spent more evenings outside talking or watching the sky. Sometimes there was much to discuss and other times none of them could find anything to say. Ororo was usually the one to start the conversations. But whether they talked or just sat there in the company of each other it didn't matter. Laura was getting closer and closer to both Logan and Ororo. Within the times she's been at the mansion she's seen how affection works. And she's beginning to understand that there's different forms of love. The way Ororo and Logan love each other and the way they love her. She's seen this with the other couples and couples to be also. She knows that that kind of love is different from how you love family and friends. It was still strange to her, but more comprehensive.

Within that past week Wanda had four therapy sessions, all together, with Professor Xavier. She managed to share some of her feelings but it was a touchy subject to say the least. There were moments when she had breakdowns or when she just lashed out, as the Professor figured and basically knew would occur. Her life was a mess prior to joining the X-Men. It would take lots of time to patch everything up. If it was even possible to fix it all. Xavier only hoped that there was some improvement by the time Magneto returned to check in on how things were going. He couldn't force Wanda to leave for she's capable of making her own decisions, however he could make life for the X-Men a living hell. And surely he wouldn't hesitate to do so.

Wanda and Kurt have become even closer throughout those days. He's been there for her a good bit. He gives her the motivation and inspiration to continue with everything. After blowing up in her sessions she often said it was too much. But he, and the Professor, told her it was for the better to continue. Now that Kurt didn't have any homework he had more and more time to spend with her. Their bond was getting stronger and they were nearly inseparable.

Right now the mansion was calm. The students had already left. This was Rogue's second morning to stay behind while the other students headed to school. She actually felt awkward. She was sitting in the rec room along with Remy, Jean, Scott, Warren and Piotr. Everyone in the room recently finished up with a Danger Room session. They were relaxing. Of course Logan participated along with Ororo, Laura, Hank, Jamie and Wanda. Only they were off doing whatever they needed to do at the moment. Jamie and Laura got to have a session before their lessons. Even those would end soon for the summer.

Jean could sense the different emotions that Rogue was feeling. "Rogue, are you okay?"

Rogue looked over to Jean who sat with Scott. "Yeah. It just feels so weird seein' tha others leave for school . . . and I'm not with them."

Scott said, "It will feel like that. You'll get used to it."

"I hope. Now I suppose I have to become a nerd and help teach." She joked.

"Ha, ha."

Rogue smiled a little. "I couldn't help it."

"At least now you have a good bit of spare time. And you don't have to worry about having to put up with Principal Kelly." He had a touch of anger in his tone when he mentioned that man's name.

"Isn't that tha truth. I can't stand him." Rogue replied.

"Who can?" Jean finally spoke again.

Rogue said back, "Anyone that hates mutants."

Jean and Scott nodded in agreement. Warren and Piotr didn't really know Principal Kelly. But they heard much about him. And ever since he ran for senator they had seen him on TV and on billboards as well. They already didn't like him.

Warren said, "You know, I don't like to judge a person without really knowing them, but that man is one rotten individual."

Piotr didn't talk much, but he agreed. "Humans like him are the reason why other humans fear us."

Remy sat there beside Rogue listening. But now it was his turn to jump in. "He's a total _trou du cul_."

The others looked at Remy with puzzled expressions. Rogue helped by saying, "It's French. _Trou du cul_ means asshole."

"Oh." Jean said. Everyone else nodded. "Good one."

Remy said to Jean, "Merci." And then he looked at Rogue. "Remy's French lessons must've paid off." He winked.

She playfully elbowed him. "Swamp rat."

Wanda was about to walk into the room and then she saw everyone in there. She almost passed by instead but Scott saw her. "Hey, Wanda! We're doing some Principal Kelly bashing. Wanna join?"

She never attended Bayville High, but she knew who he was. She heard about him through students at the institute, including Kurt. She stepped into the room. "There's not much to say. He's a low-life, dirty, mutant-hating piece of scum."

"Wow, everbody loves him so much." Rogue said sarcastically with a grin.

Many laughed or smiled. Everyone may not agree on everything, but some things are hard not to. Pretty much, not liking Principal Kelly was one thing all mutants could agree on.

Wanda was still in the entrance to the rec room. Jean called over to her, "You can come in and have a seat. We don't bite."

She hesitated. At that point in time she's been at the mansion for a good while, yet she still felt out of place at times. She didn't feel that she truly fit in with them. Even though she fit in better there than she did anywhere else. After being locked away most of her life so much felt confusing.

Remy added to Jean's comment, "She's right. We don't bite. Unless you want us to." He winked at her. He was true to Rogue, but he couldn't resist teasing some of the girls.

His comment, however, earned him another elbow to the side. "Must you?"

"What? Jus' bein' friendly, _mon cherie_."

Wanda tried hard not to, but she couldn't hold back a smile. Finally she walked into the room and took a seat near Warren. Everybody continued on with one conversation to another. Before they knew it it was lunch time. They were all pretty hungry. So they gradually filed out of the room and towards the kitchen. Of course Jean and Scott went side-by-side and so did Rogue and Remy. The other three followed behind them.

Wanda looked miserable. She couldn't wait until Kurt was home. She got along with the others, more now than when she first arrived. But Kurt was the one and only that she truly connected to.

Warren looked at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He could tell that she needed some reassurance. "It'll get better, believe me. When I first joined I felt out of place."

"Thank you."

Piotr spoke. "Yeah, comrade. It gets easier, for sure."

She smiled. "I know. Although, it's already much better than it was in the beginning it's still challenging."

They continued to the kitchen. Jamie and Laura were already there and seated. Ororo was finishing up with the meal. And it appeared that Logan was lending her a hand. Hank and the Professor would be there shortly, as soon as they were done working on Rogue's and Scott's serums. It was time to make more before the supplies ran out.

As Logan saw them all move into the kitchen he said, "One big, happy family." Of course he sounded gruff and sarcastic. They didn't know if he was joking or serious. What he said was correct though. Maybe not always happy, but they were one big family. So to speak.

That comment earned him some mixed looks. The ones that knew him well enough didn't take his sarcasm too seriously. Some grinned or softly laughed. Wanda didn't know what to do. Her expression was stoic.

Jean, Scott, Wanda, Rogue, Remy, Piotr and Warren all took seats and waited patiently. And sure enough lunch was completed. Ororo and Logan brought the food over to the table and soon seated themselves. Once they all got a helping of whatever they wanted they began to eat. There really wasn't much talking. Just a few words here and there. Everyone was enjoying their meal. After the Danger Room session that morning they all had a decent appetite. Of course they guys' was bigger.

When lunch was over some left while others remained behind to help clean up. Piotr, Jean and Wanda were among those that helped. Wanda figured that it would buy her some time. Scott had to do some work on his car for he needed to keep it running proper and looking great. Rogue and Remy have been enjoying the extra time together. Especially being alone even if they were just hanging out. And Warren had some issues to settle. Even though he was at the mansion, he still had to handle business affairs. Through his father he co-owned a business. He was surprised that he wasn't cut off now. Logan more or less kept his eyes on Jamie and Laura. Those two could get into so much trouble when unsupervised.

After the dishes were done the left-overs were just covered and left on the table. Xavier and Hank would probably want something to eat. The only ones that stayed in the kitchen were Ororo and Logan. The others went on their way. Jean and Wanda went back to the rec room. Wanda thought it wouldn't hurt to talk to her some. Piotr went to his room. Laura and Jamie wanted to go outside, but they had to wait for the adults. They'd soon have to be out there for Hank's class.

Just as everything was entirely done Charles and Hank came into the kitchen. Ororo said to them, "There's still plenty of food left."

"Good, I'm starving." Hank said smiling.

Xavier nodded and smiled. "Thanks. And sorry we're so late. Science doesn't always go as well as planned."

"Oh that's okay. You two are very busy." She said back. "Well, enjoy. I'll see you both later."

They all said goodbye. Hank and Professor X had their lunch while Ororo went to find Logan. He was trying to keep Laura and Jamie occupied. They wanted to go outside still.

"You'll go out soon enough." He said in his gruff voice.

Ororo stepped up to him. "Having trouble?" She kissed him on the lips.

"Yeah, but now it's all better." He said. Then he added, "And later it'll be . . . "

"Logan. Behave." She told him.

He gave her a dirty grin and said softly, "Back to later, darlin'. You can punish me for all my misbehavior."

"You can count on it." She whispered back. "But for now, let's get back to them." She pointed at Laura and Jamie who were busy, playfully, pushing and teasing one another.

"Sure thing." He replied.

Ororo took over. She figured he handled them well enough. "Okay. Laura, Jamie, let's go outside."

They were happy. Laura said, "Finally. The old man over there wouldn't take us out."

Logan narrowed his eyes at Laura. "Young lady, don't call me that."

"I thought it didn't bother you?" She asked.

"Well, fine. You can call me 'old man' if I can call you 'kid'." He said to her.

It was her turn to narrow her eyes. "I'll stop." She hated being called a kid. So she agreed not to call him an old man.

Ororo thought the whole thing was kind of humorous. She couldn't help but laugh. Logan looked at her funny and she said, "What? Oh, I'm sorry."

"You wait." He said in a tone that she knew all too well.

She grinned. "I guess I'm getting punished too?"

"You bet."

They then headed outside with Jamie and Laura. It wouldn't be much longer at all that Hank would be out there too. In about ten minutes his class would begin. But at least Laura and Jamie could run around and goof off for a bit.

Ororo and Logan didn't say much as they watched them. Every so often they'd look at each other and grin. Even though their minds were on the children they were also on what they would be doing later. And once they had some free time they would address those intimate notions. They may have time while Laura was in class. But not much time since they both wanted to get some family time in before the closing of the day. They figured they could do that before dinner. Then the evening would be all theirs.

Apparently the ten minutes passed because Hank came up to them. "Hey."

"Oh, hello. I didn't even take notice to you." Ororo stated.

Logan said, "I actually didn't either."

Hank nodded and replied with, "How could you? You were staring at Ororo."

Ororo didn't really notice that Logan was staring at her. She had her eyes on Laura and Jamie most of the time. She faced Logan. "Really?"

"Oops. I was caught red-handed." Logan said in a husky tone and he lifted his hands.

Hank smiled. "Well, you two can go do whatever you want. For the next fifty minutes they are under my supervision." He gestured towards Jamie and Laura.

"Alright. Talk to you later." Ororo said.

"Yep. Later." Logan said.

Ororo and Logan headed back inside. Hank shook his head with a smile. "They could be busy for a bit." He said to himself. Then he blew his whistle and yelled, "Laura, Jamie, come here! Mr. McCoy's class is about to take part."

They ran up to him. As soon as they were there he informed them on what would be happening. They never gave him any trouble because while he was a teacher he wasn't boring. He always made everything interesting and fun.

**

* * *

**Inside the mansion Jean and Wanda were still in the rec room. They only spoke a little to each other. Wanda wanted to talk to her again, but she wasn't able to put things into words so easily. She still found it hard to talk to anyone, except for Kurt and Xavier. Even though her life at the mansion was nice she seemed to develop new issues. It was all so foreign to her.

Jean could simply sense what was troubling Wanda. However, she learned not to just blurt out that she knew what was on her mind. She didn't want to make her angry. She wanted to help her. So she waited patiently.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Wanda said, "There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about. It's been eating away at me. It's not bad, I don't think. But it's a huge weight to tote around day to day."

Jean listened and replied with, "You couldn't discuss it with Professor Xavier?" She didn't want to give away that she had any idea to what it was.

Wanda expression was that of irritation and even anger. "If you don't want to help then don't." She snapped. Her anger was still something she had to work on controlling more. But it has gotten better.

Jean thought, _"Oh shit. I hope I didn't blow it."_ And then out loud she said, "No, that's not what I meant. I just know that he's been helping you."

Wanda calmed down some. She felt stupid. "Oh. Sorry." She then said, "It's just that I couldn't speak to him of this. Not that he doesn't have any clue, considering that he's been inside my head a good bit. I'd just feel more comfortable talking to you. You know, woman to woman. So it's not a problem?"

"No, it's not. I'm here for you. I told you that from day one." Jean paused briefly to make sure that Wanda didn't have more to say momentarily. When nothing was said she questioned, "What's been on your mind?"

"A lot. But the thing I called you out for is . . . " She had difficulty saying it. She took a deep breath and continued, "I've been feeling really oddly for someone here."

Jean nodded and responded with, "I'm guessing that you're referring to Kurt?"

"Yeah. We've been spending lots of time together. And more so since he's almost out of school for the summer. I can't shake these feelings. I've tried, but they won't go away." Wanda explained. She even appeared to be frustrated.

Jean took a moment to think about what she said. "Well, what exactly do you feel? Is it possible for you to put it into words?"

_"More 'feelings into words', great."_ Wanda thought. She looked at Jean hoping she didn't pick up on that. But whether or not she did she didn't say anything. And she gave no indication that she read that thought. Wanda finally said, "This will be hard."

"Surely it will. However, take it from me, it's better to lift the weight. You'll feel more comfortable once you do." Jean assured her.

So Wanda sighed and began explaining the way she felt. "Okay. First, I can't seem to ever get him off of my mind. It's as if he's embedded into my brain." She took a pause and thought, _"But that's not telling her how I feel . . . . "_ She took a deep breath and went on, "Remember how I told you what I felt before? You know, when I first spoke to you about this?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, it's gotten much worse. Whenever I'm with him I find it hard to breath. My heart beats so fast that some times it feels like it'll leap out of my chest. My stomach feels like there's millions of butterflies fluttering around inside. It's just so crazy, Jean. This can't be . . . . No, it can't be what I've come to think it is." Wanda said, she looked confused and still a little frustrated.

Jean smiled slightly. "What do you think it is?"

"You can't tell me you don't know." Wanda retorted.

"I do know. But from your perspective, what do you think?" Jean stated.

Wanda stared at her for a while and then she said, "I - I think . . . I'm falling in love with him. But it can't be. _I_ can't be _that_ close to anyone." She kept shaking her head, arguing with herself so to speak.

Jean smiled fully this time. "Honey, whether you admit it entirely or not, you've definitely been bitten by the love bug."

"It's not possible." Wanda still shook her head. Even though she knew Jean was more than likely right, she refused to believe it. "How could_ I_ be in love?"

"Anything is possible. And anyone can fall in love." Jean told her.

Wanda said, "It doesn't make sense. I can't believe it."

Jean said back, "Love doesn't make sense. But trust me, from what you told me about how you feel, you love him."

Wanda sighed. "Then, what can I do? I don't know anything about this. Should I tell him? If so, how do I know where to start. And how do I even know if he feels the same?" She had so many questions.

"You _could_ tell him. But honestly, from all of the time you've spent together, can't you tell how he feels?" Jean said.

"I'm certain he does feel the same. I just don't want to make a fool out of myself. I've done that enough." Wanda told her and her expression became bitter.

Jean placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe the best thing to do is to allow this to take its own course. What's meant to be will find a way." She smiled, thinking about her and Scott.

"You think?" Wanda sounded very pessimistic.

"I know." Jean said. Then she added, "If you and Kurt are meant to be then it will happen. Scott and I can be an example. We were in love for so long, but wouldn't admit it to each other. Everyone else could tell though. Finally we got together. I kind of wish that it was sooner. Maybe I could have prevented dating that jerk-off ex-boyfriend, Duncan. But what I'm trying to say is, let things come naturally."

Jean tried to help as much as she could. The problem was that everybody is different. She couldn't say, 'Tell him you love him' or that 'you think you love him'. That wouldn't be right. Especially not for Wanda. She had much trouble expressing herself. This wasn't new to Jean. Rogue was like that and still is to a point. And Logan and Laura have the same difficulties.

Wanda finally smiled, a small smile. "Thanks. But I'm still confused."

Jean said, "Love is confusing. But once you can get past the awkwardness, it's great. Just let it flow."

Wanda then remembered that last week she and Kurt nearly kissed. But Laura interrupted them. "Oh, Jean, I have to tell you something." Jean stayed quiet and waited. Wanda continued, "Last week, Kurt and I were in my room. He came by after school to see how my first therapy session went. Well, I was asleep. When I woke up he was in a daze. He eventually snapped out of it. But we ended up talking, a lot. Then all of a sudden we stopped talking and our faces moved closer and closer. We almost kissed."

"Why didn't you?" Jean wondered.

"Laura popped in and told us that dinner was ready." Wanda said back.

Jean replied with, "Apparently that was a sign that it was too soon. That's happened to Scott and me more times than I can count. We were already together many of the times, but still." Jean stopped for a second. She then said, "It may not have been right just yet."

"But if she hadn't came in we may have kissed." Wanda stated.

"True. But don't think about the 'ifs'. Perhaps you'll have better luck the next time."

"Perhaps." Wanda then smiled again. "I do feel better. But until Kurt knows how I feel and I know exactly how he feels this will be tough."

"Quite true. Just remember to be patient. And do keep me posted." Jean said.

"I will. Well, I'm going to go to my room. See you later. And thanks again." Wanda did look less frustrated than before. But she was still uncertain about it all.

Jean smiled. "Okay. You're welcome." She quickly added, "Oh, and if you need me again, don't hesitate to come to me."

"I won't." Wanda stood up and left the rec room.

Jean remained there as Wanda walked away. She hoped that her advice helped. It's hard to tell someone else how to express their feelings. She could only do what she could. Surely it was good enough. She knew that Kurt felt the same. But she wanted him to be able to express that to Wanda himself.

Wanda entered the room she shared with Laura. And as she'd done many times, she flopped down on her bed. Not because she was tired. Just because she felt like laying down to think about everything her and Jean discussed. She still felt kind of confused, but not overly. She wasn't as agitated for she no longer felt like the feelings were going to consume her. When Kurt got home she'd have a chance to see what would come their way. Hopefully their feelings would be revealed.

**

* * *

**Laura and Jamie were officially done with their lessons for the day. What little there was. They were with Professor X at the moment. Jamie was pestering him to just make that lesson their last for the school year.

Xavier smiled. "It wouldn't be fair to the others if I did that."

"But Professor. What more is there to learn in such little time?" Jamie protested.

Jamie looked at Laura who was speechless. She wasn't one to beg or purposely start conversation. She could with Ororo and Jamie. And sometimes Logan. But with the others it was rare. She gave him a look that said, "What?"

He whispered, "Come on, Laura. If you're with me on not having to attend classes the next few days, give me a hand."

Clearly Charles heard him. He sat behind his desk in his usual manner and grinned. This was humorous to him.

"I don't know what to say." She told him.

"Say anything." He pressed.

She stared at him. "I don't think that's a good idea."

He replied, "Why not?"

Before she could speak a gruff voice said, "Because she'll probably wind up sayin' somethin' that she shouldn't."

Of course it was Logan. And he knew that when he was pressured to say something that he often didn't say the right things. Thinking before speaking wasn't his best quality. And she was just like him.

"Hi, Logan." The Professor said. "What brings you here?"

"Hey, Chuck. I couldn't help but overhear. What's the problem?"

Professor X smiled and said, "There really isn't any problem. They just want to skip out on the next few days of school."

Logan laughed. "Who could blame them."

Xavier laughed himself. He then looked at Laura and Jamie and said, "Alright, here's the deal, don't let the others know that you're free from classes already."

"How come?" Laura asked.

Jamie smirked. "The other students could get jealous and envy us. They have to go to school even though they won't be doing anything."

Logan shook his head with a grin. "If it was me I'd love to rub it in."

Laura grinned too. "That sure would be fun."

Professor X was still smiling as he said, "You can keep quiet or tell them, I don't care. They only have one more full day and two half days."

"Why do they have to go for only half days?" Laura questioned.

"I have no idea to why the government made it that way." Xavier said.

Logan said, "I do, the government loves to screw people over no matter what the age is." There was a hint of anger to his statement.

Charles nodded in agreement. Then there was silence for at least a minute. No one knew what to say.

Finally Laura and Jamie became bored and wanted to get out of the room. So they thanked the Professor for allowing them to end school a few days early. Then they headed towards the door.

Logan said to Laura before they left, "Ororo would like some family time. So don't go far."

She nodded and continued out the door with Jamie. It was hard for anyone to know what her and Jamie would get into. They were great together, but they could stir up trouble easily. However, they weren't really wanting to get into trouble. If they did they might have to attend classes the next three days. So they just headed out the front door to find a nice place to sit. Once they found it they sat down across from one another in the grass.

For a while neither of them said a word. After around five minutes Jamie said, "So, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know." Laura replied.

"We could sit here, I guess, since Logan told you not to go too far. " He said back.

She thought about going for a little walk into the woods. But Logan told her to stay close. When she couldn't come up with another idea she said, "Yeah, I suppose."

They sat there quietly for the most part. Jamie sat with his legs crossed, indian style. Laura sat with her knees against her chest, her arms around her legs. From time to time they would gaze at each other, but quickly they'd look away. It was strange for them. There were times when Jamie would be staring at her, but as soon as he saw she was going to notice he turned his head.

Much time has passed and they still remained nonvocal. They honestly didn't know what to say. And they couldn't think of anything to do that wouldn't take them away from plain view.

As time trickled away Laura got tired of the silence. She said, "You know, if I was able to go further we could have went into the woods."

Jamie smiled, happy that she finally spoke again. "That would have been nice. We would be alone." He attempted to flirt, but he thought that he sounded stupid.

"I know. Maybe later we can, if it's not too late." She said to him. She didn't even pick up on the subtext of his last line.

He sighed and said, "There's always tomorrow also. We won't have to worry about classes." He suggested.

She grinned. "Oh, that's true."

He smiled back. "We'll have all day tomorrow." This time he tried harder to sound more appealing. "We'll be by ourselves. No one will bother us."

"Pretty much." She said in response. Then this time she did notice the change in his tone and the different expression on his face. But she didn't understand what he was trying to do. "Why are you looking at me like that? And talking so weirdly?"

He laughed nervously. "Oh, no reason." His face probably turned bright red because he felt it flush.

She stared at him and raised her right eyebrow. "Okay." Was all she said.

Then they stopped talking again. She wasn't sure what more to say and neither was he. For him it was because he was horrible at his attempts at flirting. He thought, _"I need some lessons on flirting."_One person in particular came into mind for the teacher . . . Remy. For her it was due to the fact that her mind kept wandering to what her, Ororo and Logan would do. She was getting so close to them both. She saw Logan like a father more than she had before. And she even thought of Ororo as a mother. Actually, she felt like that about Ororo even before she got as close to her. Ororo was just so paternal.

Laura moved from the position she was in. She stretched out her legs, crossing them at the ankles, and leaned back on her hands. Jamie remained indian style, but his elbows were no longer on his knees. He simply rested his hands on his lap.

Nearly a half hour had passed. Laura and Jamie spoke from time to time. But mostly the atmosphere was tranquil, aside from birds chirping every so often. It didn't really bother Jamie that they didn't talk the entire time. They've hung out a lot and sometimes they were very talkative. It was one of the more quieter days.

Secretly they'd both took turns gazing at one another. And after a while they stopped trying to hide it. They gazed at each other and it was like they were in a trance.

As they sat there staring into each others' eyes they were startled out of the daze as a voice from the front of the institute said, "It's almost time, Laura!" It was Ororo.

"Okay!" Laura called back.

Her and Jamie stood up, awkwardly. They then headed back towards the mansion. It wouldn't be much longer and the students that attended the high school would be coming home. So Ororo and Logan were picking the perfect time to meet up with Laura. They could head off before the place got crowded again.

Jamie said to Laura, "Well, I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah, later." She said.

But before he left she moved closer to him, her face inches from his. At first he stared at her with a funny expression. Until he realized that she was going to kiss him on the cheek. He thought he'd play a little joke on her. When her lips almost touched his cheek he turned his head slightly so that they met his lips instead. She pulled back with a surprised look and her cheeks flushed. Her face was a mix of things. She looked embarrassed and upset and maybe even flattered. She herself didn't even know what she felt.

"Jamie!" She shouted.

"Sorry." He couldn't keep from grinning at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him, not out of true anger though. "You're lucky that I'll be hanging with Ororo and Logan."

He stared at her. "How so?"

"Because if I wouldn't you'd be running as fast as you could right now." She smirked at him.

"I could get away." He said.

She shook her head. "I doubt it. I can run pretty fast."

"You wouldn't hurt me." He said, but a tad nervously.

"Of course not. But I'd tackle you to the ground and pin you there until I felt like letting you free." She smirked again.

Jamie actually grinned at the thought. Laura obviously didn't realize that he might like that. He is a teen-aged boy after all. And she's very pretty and even attractive, despite how young she is. He clearly has some kind of infatuation with her. She didn't know for sure what all of the feelings were, but she understood enough to know that she liked him. They've become extremely close from having classes together and basically being around only each other most of the time.

Ororo and Logan were standing on the stoop now. "Laura, you ready?" Logan said.

She glanced over at them and said, "Yep." Then she looked back at Jamie. "I'll let it go . . . this time."

He nodded. "What about the next time?" He teased.

She shook her head and grinned. "That will be for a later time."

"Well, see you then."

"See you."

Jamie walked past Ororo and Logan and Laura headed over to meet up with them. Logan was looking at her oddly. He had overheard her and Jamie. Ororo hadn't though.

"What was that all about?" Logan asked.

"Let's just say, if I'm using the term correctly, Jamie's a pervert."

Ororo smiled at her. "Why do you say that?"

"I wanted to kiss him on the cheek," she added, " . . . just friendly," as Logan eyed her oddly. She then continued, "He moved. So I ended up planting a kiss on his lips." She felt like her face was red again.

Logan thought about the whole situation and chuckled slightly. "That's definitely a boy for ya. I wouldn't really call him a pervert though. Not for that at least."

"So, I did have it wrong." She said.

"Yeah. If he would've pulled down his pants and you kissed his . . . " He didn't get to finish.

Ororo cut in, her eyes wide. "Logan."

"What? I think she got it anyway." He said back.

Laura stared at them, but what he almost said did finally click into her mind. "Ewww." She said aloud.

Logan and Ororo both laughed while Laura made faces. She didn't know that one day that may not sound too gross to her. But it's good that it did at that time.

Wanting to change the subject Laura asked, "What are doing today?"

Logan looked at Ororo. He wasn't really positive if she actually had something planned or not. She said, "Nothing particular, to be honest. We just wanted some time together."

"Some quiet time for only us three." Logan added. She said 'we', but he did want some time with two of the most important ladies in his life.

"Once the others are home we may not get that." Ororo went on.

Laura said, "Can we go into the woods?"

Ororo and Logan both nodded. Logan spoke up though. "Yeah. That is perfect."

"Yes, it is. We can be alone, for the most part." Ororo stated.

With that said the three headed off in the direction of the woods nearby. All of them loved and enjoyed being there because of the nature around them. Sometimes it felt like they were in the wilderness. It was just so peaceful. That day they hung out together, but without any actual plans.

Once they made it to their favorite spot by the water they sat on a log. Laura sat in the middle, as she usually tries to do. The best thing about this was that even if they didn't say much they still were together and they loved being where they were. And this day was much like any other. They were silent for a good while.

All of a sudden Logan got a huge smirk on his face. He got up and said, "Do either of you care to get closer to the water? Ya know, to see if there's any fish or other creatures to watch." He tried to hide his smirk.

Ororo gazed at him, suspiciously. Still she said, "Sure. Why not."

They looked at Laura. She looked from one to the other and then finally said, "That sounds nice." She hadn't really clued in to what Logan was up to. She thought he really just wanted to look at stuff in the water.

Her and Ororo headed over to where he was standing, just a few feet away from the water. They all stood there looking into it for a while. Then Logan gently grabbed Ororo and towed her with him into the water. She shrieked because it was cold. The air was very warm though.

The water wasn't too deep. It only came up to around the knees on Logan and mid-calf on Ororo. Laura soon decided that she'd just go in the water on her own. When she got in the fun began. First Ororo bent over and splashed water at Logan. He grinned and splashed her back. Soon they were having a water battle. Everyone was laughing, even Laura. That went on for a good ten to fifteen minutes.

Eventually Ororo got worn out. She told them they could continue since they weren't showing any signs of fatigue. Thanks to healing factors. So she headed back to the log to watch Laura and Logan splash each other.

After about five more minutes Logan and Laura came back over to the log to join Ororo. Everyone was soaked from head to toe. But before sitting down Logan kissed Ororo and he moved his mouth towards her ear.

He whispered in a deep, husky voice, "If it were just you and me, those wet clothes would be coming off." He eyed her seductively. Her clothes clung to her body and that turned him on.

She whispered back just as playfully, "If you can hold off until after dinner, you can have all you want for dessert."

Of course she'd be out of wet clothes by then having changed them once she got inside. But he smirked and nodded. "I'll try my best, darlin'." He kissed her again and then went over to sit by Laura. She was in the middle again.

They sat there in silence once more. Ororo and Logan placed their arms around Laura. After a bit Laura's arms were around the both of them. The next thing that happened was shocking and completely unexpected. Laura said, "That was so much fun. Thanks for initiating it, Father."

Logan and Ororo stared at one another and then at Laura. She said the words without thinking. It just came out. No one knew what else to say. Ororo figured that this was something that Logan would have to comment on. She could tell how stunned he was by the word 'father'. He looked happy yet he was more or less put on the spot. He hoped that Laura understood why he hadn't responded. He knew Ororo understood.

A few moments later Logan managed to speak. "Wow, Laura. Father." He said, softly but still with a gruffness.

Laura looked up at him. She could tell that he was lost for words more than ever. "I'm sorry. It just felt right to say."

He smiled at her. "Don't be sorry. It's only that I wasn't expecting that."

"I won't call you that."

"You can. I mean, I am pretty your father. And if you really feel comfortable with it, then go for it." He left her decide. Even if it felt weird to him. This was her choice.

She nodded but didn't know what more to say. She would probably be calling him 'father' or 'dad' more often. Saying it was strange, however she didn't feel it was wrong. She's spent much time with him. And technically he was her father. She wanted to eventually call Ororo by 'mother', but she didn't feel that that was right yet. So she held off.

Ororo was smiling. No one said anything else though for the longest time. It was only when they noticed that the sun had moved a good bit that Ororo said, "We probably should head back to the mansion."

She stood up and so did Laura and Logan. He said, "Yeah. It'll soon be time for dinner."

Ororo smiled at him. "And then . . . ." Was all she said. He knew how to feel in the blanks.

Laura tried not to pay attention to their conversations. She knew what most of it meant so she didn't want to hear it. That was definitely something most teenagers, and even adults, don't want to hear from their elders.

The three begin the short journey back to the mansion. All in all, they had a great time. Even with the moment where Laura had called Logan 'father'. It was just a surprise for all of them.

* * *

Later after everybody was finished with dinner they all went off their own way. Ororo and Logan had big plans for the night. It was a while since they've had some 'personal' time with each other. So that's what they had planned; a night of passion. After the way their day unfolded thus far they were ready to let loose.

Jean and Scott _and_ Rogue and Remy all decided to do something together. Rogue wasn't as mopey as she used to be, so they all agreed to go out on a double date. All four went to see a movie. They left Rogue choose and she chose a horror flick. That was perfectly fine by Jean, Scott and Remy.

While the others were having fun in one way or another, Wanda and Kurt took a walk outside the mansion. They didn't leave the grounds, they just wanted to get away from everything. Now that school was soon coming to an end most of the younger students were very excited. But that kind of bothered Wanda because she preferred the peace and quiet that she got during the day. She needed to get outside for a bit. Kurt didn't refuse. He enjoyed spending time with her. And more so lately. He was certain she felt the same. She was a totally different person around him. She was still bitter, but not as much.

They walked far and sat down on a bench. It was wonderful that Charles Xavier had such a huge property. That made it easy for one to escape the commotion yet still be near in case of an emergency.

After a few moments passed Kurt said, "How did you're day go?"

Wanda gazed at him. "Okay. I'm getting along much better with the others."

"That's great." He said enthusiastically.

She nodded. "Yeah. But I don't feel as open with them. Well, Jean and Professor X being the exception."

He replied with, "Eventually it will be easier to open up to the others, too." He then grinned, "And to be truthful, it's easier with them since they can read someones thoughts."

She grinned back. "Yes, that probably does help a lot on their behalf. But hopefully you're right about the others."

"I'm positive. Just take one step at a time." He assured her.

They went silent for a couple seconds or so. The evening was fading into night. Above them the sky was a beautiful array of colors. Neither one could help but admire it.

Kurt broke the silence with a question that he knew would probably upset her. Still he wanted to see how her progress was going. He bit down on his lower lip. Finally he said, "Forgive me for this," he started then he went on with, "I was curious to know if you and the Professor have sorted through any past issues with Magneto yet?"

Wanda's expression went from peaceful and somewhat happy to tense and irritated. "Yes, we've discussed him a little." Her voice was like acid.

He winced a little at her tone. "I apologize for dampening your mood."

She gazed at him, her face still washed with anger. But as she looked at him her features softened slightly. "You're forgiven, Kurt. I'm sorry, too."

"For what?"

"For getting angry. Obviously I need much more therapy before I can even tolerate anything about my father."

He smiled at her. "No big deal."

"It is a big deal though. I can't keep being angry. And I don't want to either." She was now starting to feel a different emotion. One she felt before but not for so long. It was sorrow.

"I don't understand completely how you feel now, since I don't really have problems with my temper. But either way, I'm here for you. I'll listen to anything you have to say. Whether it's happy, sad or angry." He told her. He moved closer to her on the bench so that they were merely inches apart.

She half-smiled. "Kurt, I know. And I think that's another reason why I feel good being around you. The others aren't as in tune with me. Jean and the Professor can sense my feelings. But you kind of know me better. Even if your mother is trying to become a real parent she still wasn't the best. And I doubt she ever will be. My father will never risk anything to even try."

His face looked upset. "So, if it weren't for the fact that Mystique was a horrible mother then you and I wouldn't be this close?"

She registered what he meant. "I don't know."

"What if she does do better and I get along with her like I should? Would you still be interested in being near me?"

"Of course I would. If she proves to be a good mother that won't change anything between us. Why would you assume that I'd just give you the brush-off."

He felt silly now. "Again, I apologize. It's just that that's what brought us together. Pretty much. We both have crazy, villainous parents."

She couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Tell me about it."

Wanda and Kurt went quiet again. It was completely dark now. They stared up at the stars.

As they sat there Kurt noticed that Wanda shuttered a little. The air was still warm, but there was a breeze that had a coolness to it. Without thinking he snaked his arm around her waist and moved closer. They were now sitting against one another. She didn't seem to mind for she placed her arm around him, too.

For a good fifteen minutes there was silence. After a while they looked at each other. Wanda seemed to be okay.

Kurt asked, "Are you cold?"

Wanda answered with, "Not really. I just get a few chills here and there. I'm fine though."

"Oh. Do you want me to give you some space then?" He asked, hoping she'd say no.

She looked into his eyes. "Nope. This feels . . . nice." She said for lack of a better description.

"It does." He said back.

They began to stare deeply into each others eyes. It was as if they could see one anothers' soul. As they gazed they turned so that they faced each other. Kurt lightly brushed his free hand along her cheek and jawline. He rested it under her chin. She didn't pull away, she kept looking into his eyes and studied his features.

The two remained like that for at least five minutes. Only he kept on caressing her face. They hadn't even noticed that they've moved even closer. Wanda lifted her free hand and placed it on his face and she began to imitate his moves. She's never done anything like that before. But even at that she didn't feel odd about doing it. His touch felt good. And he felt the same about her. Even if they were only caressing each others' faces.

More time passed and now their faces were only inches apart. Wanda was breathing kind of heavily. Before either of them knew it their lips met. At first just a small kiss. Then they pulled away slightly and looked at one another in awe. It didn't take long for their lips to crash together. This time the kiss was much longer and more intense. Their arms were around each other.

They kissed like that for almost ten minutes. Only stopping to catch their breath. When they pulled away this time they couldn't help but blush a little. They said nothing for the longest time.

Breaking the silence Kurt said, "Are you okay with what just happened?"

Wanda smiled. "Yep. You?"

"Yeah. It was great." He paused and then said, "So, does this mean that . . . " He trailed off.

She finished with, "We both have feelings? And that we - we l-love each other as more than friends?" She had some difficulty getting some of that out.

He stared at her. "Yeah, that."

"I guess it's out in the open now. So to speak." She said staring back at him.

He nodded. "Do you want to tell anyone?"

She shook her head. "No. Let's just let them find out on their own."

"Hm, fine by me." He told her.

"Good." She said back.

It was getting a bit late. Kurt said, "Well, maybe we should head back in."

She said, "Yeah. We've been out here a while."

They stood up, stretched and began to walk away from the bench. He questioned, "Would you mind if I hold your hand?"

She raised an eyebrow, confused. But then it sunk in. "Oh. No. I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

Wanda and Kurt made their way back to the mansion hand-in-hand. It felt strange to them both. But in a good way. They liked it, too. This would be a start of something new, for sure.

**

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****Well, that was the last scene:) Now all that's left is an epilogue:) I have a laptop now, so that should be posted up very, very soon:) I'm leaning towards tonight since I already have it half finished:) I hope I get some reviews:) Thanks to anyone who's been reading this:) And an enormous thanks to MarvelMaster616 for all of the help:) Take care:)**


	21. Epilogue

**Chapter Twenty**: Epilogue

Charles Xavier's X-Men had come a long, long way. Many have taken tremendous steps down the line. Some were surprising. While others where expected entirely.

Jean and Scott finally tied the knot. They had an average ceremony right at the institute. Jean's family came and she was so excited about that. She chose Ororo to be the Maid of Honor. And her sister, Sarah, along with Rogue, Kitty, Amara, Tabitha, Jubilee, Rahne and even Wanda were her brides' maids. She had asked Laura but she turned it down saying, "You won't catch me dead in any dress." Jean understood and didn't press any further. She'd still be attending the wedding so that's all that mattered. Ororo helped Jean put together a bachelorette party which all of the girls attended.

Scott had a tough time picking a best man. He was going to go for Logan, however he chose not to. Logan wouldn't have wanted that. Scott thought it over and ended up choosing Alex. And he was thrilled. Remy would have been next in line if Alex had turned it down. There were no hard feelings from Remy that he didn't get that opportunity for he threw Scott a bachelors party. All of the guys attended. Jean had made a joke that the only stripper he could have would be her. The only guys who had protested were Hank and Charles for reasons that were understandable. Remy nearly got murdered by both Scott and Rogue for his comment on that

Not too long after Jean's and Scott's wedding Remy asked Rogue to marry him and she said yes. He had been pondering over that for a while. But he finally brought himself to do it and they are now engaged. That was a step that no one thought he could take. Even himself. His love for Rogue truly changed him. Whether they were married yet or not he belonged to her and she belonged to him. The only women, besides Rogue, that he flirts with is Jean and Ororo. But it's only good, clean fun.

Rogue did stick with her plan to just teach. She couldn't think of anything she'd rather do. She already got to do some of that. It was sometimes frustrating, but it wasn't horrible. She's lived through much worse. It wouldn't be like her to go away to college or to go period. She hated school. And she'd had enough prejudice against mutants without attending another school. She would continue studying at the institute and become a teacher there. In the meantime she'd just student teach from time to time.

Ororo and Logan haven't gotten engaged yet. But he wanted so badly to ask her. His problem was that he wasn't good at that kind of thing. He knew he'd eventually manage to do it. He just needed more time. Ororo understood completely. All she cared about was the fact that they were together and they loved each other unconditionally. The biggest thing that happened was that she took Laura as her daughter. It was a bit hard since her and Logan weren't married. But it turned out well.

Laura was very happy with her life now. She had a real family. Of course she included everyone else as family, too. And her and Jamie's friendship blossomed into something stronger. Yet they still won't admit that they have those feelings for one another.

Wanda and Kurt are out in the open. Everyone is aware of their once secret relationship. The only two that knew beforehand were Jean and Charles, of course. Although, many had suspicions.

Wanda still took therapy sessions from Xavier every other day. That could be a process that would take place for years. Her hatred for Magneto remains intact. But now she has the strength to control her temper. And she was actually able to meet with him, only under Professor X's supervision though. Magneto couldn't try to force her to leave. She had improved and that's what he wanted to see by the time he chose to pay a visit. Maybe some day she could learn to love him, or least to not loath him.

And along those lines, Kurt had met up with Mystique numerous times. More recently he got Rogue to finally join him again. Everything went as well as it ever could between Rogue and Mystique. Lucky for them that Kurt was there to keep things mellowed out. If those two were left alone they'd probably get into a huge fight. The process is slow, but it's still a process. It's gotten a lot better.

Also, Kurt was still undecided on his agenda after graduation. There was time. But it was cutting close. Right now he figured his best option would be to teach at the institute. His appearance took much part in that. He started to not mind his looks now that he and Wanda were together. He only used his image inducer in school and other public places. He rarely ever used it at the mansion. But he didn't want to take chances just yet.

Kitty hadn't really changed at all. She's still high spirited and happy. She'd soon be going to college to become a veterinarian. She would go to the University of New York like Jean was doing. She couldn't bare to move away from everyone. Just thinking about it made her sad and she felt she could cry.

Piotr remained kind of shy. However he's more open to everyone. He spends more time with them. He used to always go off to himself. But now he feels more confident. Mostly for the fact that he no longer had to worry about his family. They are well protected through Professor Xavier. Piotr can actually relax.

Warren is still only co-owner of his and his fathers company. He's hoping to one day take over completely. His father has been kind enough to allow him to continue there so he didn't want to push his luck. He wouldn't ask. But when it came to time for his father to retire he had high hopes that he'd be the businesses owner.

As for the younger students, they haven't altered too much in general. Though Bobby and Jubilee have shown an interest in one another. And so have Amara and Alex. Rahne and Roberto finally hooked up. It wasn't as major as the other relationships within the mansion, but it was something. They've kind of had a thing for each other for a while. Tabitha and Ray were getting in to trouble from time to time. Tabitha usually being the culprit. She definitely hasn't changed.

Evan isn't the trouble-maker he used to be. After he rejoined the X-Men he was more mature. Sometimes it bothered some of his friends at how much he changed. But he could still goof around. No matter what Ororo was proud of him. Since Xavier and Hank found a serum that could help keep his powers in control he's been fairly happy. He can use his spikes at will, like before. And now he can also use those powers to cover his body with the armor he once thought he'd be stuck with permanently. He liked that he could do it at will because he did not have to worry about his appearance so much.

Professor Charles Xavier was the same as ever. He's there for anyone who needs him. Whether it's one of his X-Men or an outsider. And he's open to more students joining. He's hopeing to find more soon because many of the current ones are either out of high school or close enough to it. And the others are approaching that level quickly. Slowly but surely he'll find more students and build up the X-Men even more.

While the X-Men have fought hard for mutant rights and to protect the innocent, they certainly will have more conflicts in the future. That will never change. But that's what they are there to do. And they all embrace that. Maybe some day Xavier's dream will be a reality. A start of something new.

~**THE END**~

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**This is finally the end. I'm happy and sad. But I am moving on to another story, which will not take nearly as long to write - lol:) My laptop is a great help already:) My new story will be under the "Wolverine and the X-Men" category:) I hope you like it and follow me:) Thanks for reading and reviewing:) Another special thanks to MarvelMaster616 for all the guidance and support:) You totally rock! Well, I hope that my next story is enjoyable:) Take care:)**


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